Popular culture tends to depicts the life of nobility through the Middle Ages in one of a few ways. While the peasantry are going about their Monty Pythonesque filth farming, their lords, knights and kings will either be living in glorious excess, display the most conniving intent to grab more and more power, or be the most virtuous ruler out there. The Crusader Kings series has always let you choose which type of ruler you want to be.
Compared to other grand strategy series, Crusader Kings games aren't really about "painting the map", but are about leading a dynasty of nobles through the ages. All of your choices and actions are to further yourself and provide the best possible throne for your heirs to come and sit on once you have passed. Of course, you can still seek to paint the world red and conquer all those that stand in your way, but you're doing this while role playing as a particular ruler. They can be strong military leaders or sickly, bookish and shy, they can be pious to the extreme or philanderers in excess, they can be just and honest or try to stab everyone in the back to get ahead.
Alongside the countless narrative moments that will pop up and demand you make a decision, the role playing aspects of the series have really been pushed to the fore in Crusader Kings 3. Lifestyles have been revamped, giving a progression tree of buffs to unlock as you push your character toward a particular style of play, while your stature and grander actions build up points to unlock Dynasty Legacies, which start to provide powerful enhancements for all characters in your family tree, cementing a legacy of military success, conniving acts or… bounteous loins. Speaking of which, you'll be playing a game of medieval eugenics as you arrange marriages, carefully select a tutor or guardian with high stats, and even indulge in a little light prolicide, fratricide and parridice to ensure your dynasty's succession.
Ah yes. Murderous scheming. What could be more Crusader Kings? Well, maybe a few little affairs and blackmail? The new overarching Schemes system ties together the various bits of intrigue and skullduggery you could get up to in previous games, whether it's a murder plot on a rival, a bit of light seduction, or simply trying to sway a character's opinion of you. A good Spymaster in your council of advisors will help you ferret out the secrets of others – though you can always make something up with an intrigue-oriented character – to that you can gain blackmail hooks on them and persuade them to support your more devious endeavours. Of course, your own escapades and deviancies can be turned back around on you just as well.
Or you could always just wage wars and conquer your rivals. You'll need to have a Casus Belli before you can rally your troops and march to glory, but that's easy enough to conjure up with some forged paperwork. You won't have a huge standing army, but rather a mixture of men-at-arms and a mass of levied peasants gathered from your lands and those of your vassals. This will typically start to drain your coffers, putting a limit on how long you can wage war for before you run out of cash, and focussing your efforts on embarrassing your enemy or quickly grabbing the patch of land you wanted. The nature of your armies also makes the biggest threats to your rule come from within, with dissatisfied vassals potentially banding together and bringing their full might against you, with your own army diminished through not being able to draw upon their levies. It's the first years of an heir's rule potentially the most dangerous of them all.
Pushing you further to actually role play is the new Stress system that nudges you to make decisions in keeping with your current character. Pushing that character's buttons with your choices will increase their stress and can lead to mental breaks that then add negative character traits to cope, and eventually wildly lashing out. There's ways to reduce stress periodically through feasts and hunts, but it forces you to weigh up the cost of acting against your character's nature. Still, it can feel a bit like a straight jacket with certain characteristics. Shy characters can seriously struggle with managing Vassal opinions, as every attempt at a simple Sway scheme immediately adds a huge amount of Stress and they obviously hate hosting big, lavish feasts. A more nuanced time-based penalty here could have felt more appropriate, but it certainly ramps up the pressure effectively.
Scheming and character relations can feel quite straightforward and numbers-based (because they are), but that just the nature of this genre and provides clarity over who likes and dislikes you and why. Still it can initially come as a bit of a surprise to be so thoroughly disliked, forcing you to lean heavily on gifts and Sway scheme within your own realm. It allows you to toy with the system to an extent – I mothered a bastard child with the King of Sweden and then, our infidelity discovered, shipped our son over to the King's wife to be his guardian. I felt slightly bad for this.
The breadth of cultures and religions represented in CK3 is impressive – it needs to be in order to match huge world map the game ships with. Cultures come with different styles of government, succession rules, marriage, and there are several faiths under each religion's umbrella that have their own particular rites and rules for how you can embark on pilgrimages to holy site, doctrines surrounding marriage, crime, and so on. New faiths can rise up and you're given the opportunity to embrace them or declare those that do heretics, but if you're pious enough, you can create your own and (hopefully) lead your family and subordinates over to the new style of living.
These are also the path to the holy wars of the game's name. For your basic Catholic faiths, you'll start to be called up by the Pope to go and capture Jerusalem, and while you can just throw him a few coins to support the war effort, you can also raise and army and send it over to fight. Your reward will depend on your contribution to the war effort, but it's currently too easy to cheese this by simply laying siege to a few cities away from the main battles, earning a disproportionately high score and seeing the invaded realm (probably Jerusalem) handed over to your chosen benefactor if the war as a whole goes in your favour.
Helping players to learn the ropes of Crusader Kings 3 has certainly been a focus for Paradox, and there's some great tools included here to help you do just that. The in-game encyclopaedia is great, and it's allied with the never-ending tooltips that let you mouseover a concept in a dialogue box and get an explanatory pop-up, which will feature more words that you can mouseover, and deeper and deeper. Its default mode is maybe a touch intrusive, but that can be modified. An advice tab at the top of the screen helps you keep tabs on important things like wars you can start, people you can imprison, immediate threats to your realm. It's a shame that the initial tutorial feels like an info dump delivered through dozens of consecutive text boxes, but a little patience and the game's core is easy enough to learn and there are enough pointers provided to help you progress.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill DLC will add the new Eldfjall Island mountain
Thunderful and Megagon Industries have announced some new DLC for the biking game Lonely Mountains: Downhill, with this content taking players to the fictional volcanic Eldfjall Island. The DLC will add four brand new trails to master with new environmental effects also being added. There will be lightning and the active volcano is not just for show, so be aware of that. There will be new cosmetics to unlock too, and you will be able to compete on a global leaderboard. You can check out the first look in the new trailer below.
Remothered: Broken Porcerlain's new trailer explores the relationship between Jennifer and Lindsay
A brand new trailer for the upcoming horror title Remothered: Broken Porcerlain has been released, and this one is titled Whispers. The focal point of this new trailer is the relationship between the main character Jennifer and her companion through the horror, Lindsay. Both seem to be trapped in the Ashmann Inn, and the only way to survive is to support each other through all of the danger that is coming their way. You can watch the trailer below.
Recently, Remothered: Broken Porcelain was delayed from August 25th to October 20th. In a statement, Stormind Games said:
After much consideration, we've reached a decision with the team at Stormind Games to delay Remothered: Broken Porcelain's release until Oct. 20 of this year. We are incredibly excited to invite players into this wonderfully realized chapter of the Remothered story, but it's important that we deliver the experience fans deserve. Having additional time for polish and to accommodate unanticipated longer timeframes due to the current global situation will help us do exactly that.
We cannot thank the fans of Remothered enough for their patience and the passionate enthusiasm they've shared for Remothered: Broken Porcelain, and we look forward to seeing their reactions when they play the game later this year.
In our review for the first game Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Steve wrote:
I was apprehensive when first beginning Remothered: Tormented Fathers as I have been burnt by too many horror games that promised much but only disappointed – Agony being the most recent and egregious example. Happily, despite a few minor niggles, I very much enjoyed my time in the Felton residence and eagerly await the promised sequels. Darril Arts have established a gameworld that is clearly influenced by its predecessors but manages to steer clear of feeling overly derivative. I'm not a huge fan of stealth but the world and the narrative drew me in and by the end I was sneaking around like Solid Snake in high heels. If you're looking for a new horror experience then Remothered comes highly recommended.
You can read the full Remothered: Tormented Fathers review here.
Source: Press Release
White Shadows revealed for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC
Monokel has revealed a new platformer called White Shadows for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The game is one that leans heavily into a black and white aesthetic in which players take on the role of Ravengirl. Ravengirl is on a mission to escape the surveillance state known as White City which is ruled by wolves. The main inhabitants of White City are pigs, sheep, birds and rats. Going by the trailer she is branded a criminal with the city's resources used to hunt her down.
The story description says:
Some time ago, the great war led to a plague which wiped almost all living things from the face of the earth. Or so they say. Nobody is safe outside the White City, and the birds are to blame for the plague. Or so they say. Only a shining coat of fresh white color will protect you from the plague, and you must earn your ration of color by staying obedient. Or so they say. But Ravengirl stopped listening.
The features for White Shadows have also been listed by Monokel, and those are as follows:
- Meaningful story: A story that is dark yet funny, gripping and relevant to players' lives today
- Narrative gameplay experience: Simple, but deep interactions drive the story forward
- Cinematic style: A unique & highly detailed visual style made of shadows and light
- This fable comes alive: a fully formed world with masses of pigs and sheep and birds, with scheming rats and wolf overlords and helpless little chicklets
- A call to revolt: Are you ready to change the fate of the last city on earth and its' inhabitants?
White Shadows is expected to be released in 2021.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time Review
It seemed like we had seen the last of Genndy Tartakovsky's time-traveling warrior Samurai Jack back in 2017, when the classic early-2000s series was gifted one final season by Adult Swim to revisit the incredible characters and wrap up the long-unfinished story. This year, though, Adult Swim Games decided to take one more final ride with Jack by putting together a video game spin-off to the iconic action series.
These days, when you hear about a video game spin-off from a cartoon series, you'll probably imagine a pocket-sized mobile game or a flawed, low-budget console release. Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time breaks that unfortunate tradition by taking us not only on a journey through the past of Samurai Jack, but also through the past of action games.
The original cartoon got a pretty conclusive ending in the final episode of its 2017 run, and Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time doesn't attempt to ruin a good thing. This game instead weaves its way between the chapters of the series, fleshing out a brief half-minute off-screen sequence from the final season into a six-to-ten hour journey.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is just as dedicated to the iconic visuals of the original cartoon as it is to the story and characters. The game even opens up with the original narration and opening animation from the cartoon. Footage from the show is mixed into the rest of the game now and then, but most of the experience is a cel-shaded 3D adventure that does an incredible job of capturing the original aesthetic of the series. Characters maintain their same blocky, hard-edged proportions, and cutscenes often employ the same long, drawn-out cuts you'd see in the cartoon. While a few awkward animations make their way into the cutscenes, for the most part the combination of cel-shaded character models with rich color and detailed shading is a gorgeous recipe for success.
For someone who has never seen an episode of the cartoon, you'll likely be left with a heaping helping of confusion throughout this game. Who is Ashi? Why is that dog talking? Did that Scotsman just use his leg as a machine gun? The game picks some of the most iconic characters, environments, and enemies from the original cartoon to populate the game-world with, so long-time fans will have a constant surge of nostalgia as they revisit past worlds of Samurai Jack.
The most surprising thing about this action-game retelling of Jack's biggest adventures is how dedicated it is to being a product of the show's original era. In a world where so many action games today ape off the success of the Souls series or the metroidvania genre, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time feels like an HD remaster or remake of a PlayStation 2 classic.
The Ninja Gaiden veterans at Soleil Ltd. have put together an old-school 3D action game full of flashy combos, arenas of enemies, and score-based rankings. This isn't as much of a grueling character-action challenge as it is a flashy fan-pleaser. Doling out slick combos with Jack's magic sword or swapping out to a variety of other weapons in the game like clubs and bo staffs is a delight, and while higher difficulty settings can help add some challenge to the experience, I was happy enough with the balance of lenient difficulty that the standard experience gave me.
Unfortunately, a few watery game mechanics end up souring the otherwise delightful experience. Some of these problems stem from the old-school action game design of Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time that I just finished praising. Much like an old-school console action game, there are some infuriatingly unfair checkpoints should you end up dying through a particularly tough segments or tricky boss fights. The upgrade system is also awkwardly gated off with multiple currencies and forced progression. It left me unable to actually obtain a few of the combat skills I was most excited about due to a lack of resources in the second half of the game.
One particular issue, though, is an awkward modern design element that feels like it had no place in the game. Jack can employ a variety of different weapons, with certain enemies having certain weaknesses that pressure you into swapping your loadout often. Each of these weapons is also saddled with an annoying durability meter. You'll burn through weapons just as frequently as you can find them, leading to pure time-wasting as you constantly refresh your loadout or swap out broken weapons throughout the game.
The Witcher: Monster Slayer early development version is out in New Zealand
A couple of days ago, CD Projekt RED announced a new mobile title set in The Witcher universe, and that game is The Witcher: Monster Slayer. The game has been described a bit like Pokemon GO but for Witcher fans. However, you will not be capturing the various monsters that stalk the realm, but instead fighting them. To do this players will have to prepare potions, check in at locations, and track monsters before you fight them. And, if you live in New Zealand you can try out the early development version on Apple devices.
Gather round witchers, we just launched the early development version of our game in New Zealand for you to test!
So grab your swords and download it from the App Store
https://t.co/ZYkkPQUusP pic.twitter.com/NpSFvpT3p7
— The Witcher: Monster Slayer (@TheWitcherMS) August 31, 2020
The Witcher: Monster Slayer is expected to release worldwide in 2020 for iOS and Android, so that early test may roll out to other nations. The Twitter account associated with the game has advised people to sign up to the newsletter, where more information will be given once release windows of The Witcher: Monster Slayer for other regions have been confirmed. The game will have a more action RPG slant to it compared to similar mobile titles, and does take inspiration from the fantasy world's lore in having you need to prepare for each battle. You'll have to brew potions and oils, craft bombs and monster bait, and upgrade your character before you'll be ready to take on certain monsters. Battles will then take place in first-person AR combat via your phone.
The Witcher: Monster Slayer will feature quests to complete while you are out and about as well.
Source: Twitter
Watch the first gameplay footage for The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon DLC
Obsidian has released the first gameplay footage for the first The Outer Worlds DLC expansion Peril on Gorgon, with the walkthrough shown focusing on one of the side quests. The side quest is named "Love is the plan. The plan is death." The footage starts with the player, along with companions Parvati and Felix, heading into a bar called the Sprat Shack where you discover that people have been changing for the worst. The Sprat Shack will act as a hub on Gorgon where side quests can be picked up. You can watch the pre-release footage below.
Once the player ventures out of the Sprat Shack combat is quick to appear, and the new footage shows the Pest Extermination Tool, one of the new science weapons found on Gorgon. This weapon can let you pull enemies towards you so hits can be landed. Portable phonographs will act like the audio logs from the base game to get information about the world, and discover what happened to the residents of Gorgon.
The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon was revealed during the Xbox Series X Games Showcase, and a release date of September 9th has been confirmed for the DLC. In our original review for The Outer Worlds, Gareth wrote:
The Stone Of Madness announced for PlayStation 5
I'm trying to think of any other games set in a monastery but coming up blank, but that is exactly where The Stone of Madness set. Described as "a hardcore real-time tactics and stealth game set in an ever-changing Spanish Monastery", you have to help five inmates escape. In order to escape they must face "their phobias and risk worsening their conditions before madness completely takes them."
Now you may be wondering why monks are locking people up, and it turns out the monastery has been repurposed as a mental asylum and is set in the Pyrenees during the 18th century. Depending on how you play you characters sanity will deteriorate and if gets too bad you will get the titular Stone of Madness that gives your characters negative abilities such as paranoia, and dementia.
"Explore your surroundings, find clues and tools to help you achieve your goal. Be careful though, if you're caught being somewhere you shouldn't be the guards will not be kind," say developers Teku Studios.
Key features include:
- Master Tactician– Plan and execute your escape in real-time, utilise each characters' unique abilities and escape the Monastery.
- The Prisoners – Play as five unique and flawed characters, discover why each has imprisoned.
- Secrets of the Monastery – Explore the monastery and you may come across items or clues to unlock new content for future play-through's.
- Character Progression/Regression – Each character has special skills and unique flaws that can help or hinder or progress.
- Endless Escapes – There are multiple escape plans to attempt by exploring the monastery. The monastery map also changes with each play-through, moving key and items to other locations.
- Stunning and Original Art – Exquisite hand-painted and original works inspired by 18th century artist, Francisco De Goya
The game is also scheduled to arrive on Steam along with PlayStation 5 in Spring 2021.
Ghostrunner has a new trailer, beta sign ups now open
Who ya gonna call? Ghost..er.. runners! The hack and slash parkour game has a new trailer which you can check out below.
The game set in the future after a global cataclysm forces the remaining few humans to take shelter in a huge tower built by The Architect, who died mysteriously years ago. "A person's worth depends on the category of implants they have, defining their whole lives," say All In! Games. "The implants—given to them in childhood—determine which social group a person belongs to. If you weren't lucky enough to get a good life, there is nothing you can do."
"High mobility of the main character, one-hit-one-kill, and bullet-time mechanics are the bases of the gameplay, which focuses on fast-paced, high-adrenaline combat," they add.
Ghostrunner's official description reads:
Blood-thirsty enemies, an environment full of deadly traps, virtual reality overlayed on top of real space—all this and more awaits you as you make your way, level by level, towards the top of the tower. Your high-tech blade slices through flesh and metal, delivering gory one-hit kills. Bullet-time mechanics give you an edge in fast, high-adrenaline combat. Unique cybernetic skills help you cope with enemies and an environment that can end your life at any moment.
Ghostrunner will be released on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam later this year but there will be a beta before then, there is no mention of formats for the beta but as this an indie game I would guess it's only going to be running on PC. All participants will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so you won't be able to talk about the game or stream it. The Beta will begin in the middle of September and you must be at least 18 years of age.
To sign up for the Ghostrunner Beta click here.
Source: YouTube
Those that know me best know that I have no sense rhythm, and especially struggle with rhythm games, but the concept of Double Kick Heroes intrigued me so much that I just had to give it a go. You find yourself in a post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland, a group of metalheads driving across the USA while fighting zombies with the Power of Rock!
The concept sounds outlandishly weird, and combined with the buildable elements of the rhythm aspect of the game, creates a thoroughly bizarre storyline that pulls the player right into this wasteland. You travel across the world, trying to build a resistance whilst meeting an array of other metalhead survivors, defeating zombies with your music-powered gun car called the 'Gundillac'.
Each level plays out like a rhythm action game, but with your band firing from the back of the the Gundillac as it cruises along. Not only do you have to keep rhythm to the symbols running along the bottom of the screen, but you also have to shift your aim. Enemies approach from a wide area, and will approach and destroy your car if you don't pay them enough attention…. with bullets. This extra element, while making the game more difficult, also made the game far more interesting, as you have to track more than just rhythm bar.
Throughout each level, you can level up your guns by creating multipliers via streaks that let you deal more damage – a fairly common concept within rhythm games. Furthermore, as you progress throughout the storyline, you can build and unlock more weapons, creating a higher level of difficulty from the initial A or B rhythm options.
The storyline is complimented by the convoluted, almost wild art style that depicts the changing landscapes and array of obscure enemies you fight. From zombies to chickens, to bikers wearing dead shark heads, and when you get to Europe, sheep-riding Nazis. Every enemy is unique, bizarre and plays into the storyline in a different way – the chickens simply appeared because one of the band members was hungry. The pixelated style still displays emotion from the characters, all of which have their own distinct look.
The campaign is fairly short, but with five levels of difficulty and a number of trophies to collect, it is surprisingly easy to get lost in the music and spend hours replaying tracks and exploring the world map. As I said earlier, I'm no pro with rhythm games, but managed to be fairly successful with the first two difficulties; Rock and Hard Rock. The other three levels, Metal, Violence and Extreme will cater to those more adept to these games, as the challenge jumped exponentially through the three difficulties I tried.
A rhythm game would be nothing without a solid soundtrack and Double Kick Heroes absolutely delivers. Each song showcases a different genre of metal, and while I obviously preferred some tracks over others, there wasn't anything I definitively hated. Listening to the soundtrack separately gave me a different level of enjoyment from playing the songs. I'm no metalhead, though I do listen to the genre from time to time and thoroughly enjoyed this album. Some of the songs have even found their way into my playlists.
There is also a mode to let you play through songs without the story, or even create your own tracks. As I struggle with rhythm games, you can imagine my talent in creating tracks as well – painfully lacking. While I muddled through to try and create a track, it certainly left a lot to be desired, though I can't exactly blame Double Kick Heroes for that!
While I enjoyed the story, the gameplay, and the NPC's, one thing I found that wasn't to my taste was the dialogue. Every third of fourth word was some sort of swear word, and while I'm not exactly prudish when it comes to swearing, it felt unnatural to read. A few cusses now and then would've been okay, and metalheads living through the apocalypse are probably going to swear fairly often, but it just seemed a little forced and excessive through the game.
Despite the reliance on swearing, the storyline was highly amusing, and even broke the fourth wall on a few occasions. The implication of Korea triggering the wasteland, for example, could be considered a very real possibility is the current world. Even Snake, one of the band members, refers to himself as the "Token Asian", commenting on the representation (or lack thereof) of various ethnicities throughout media.
Report: The Mass Effect Trilogy remasters may ship this October
Time for a little recap. Back in May EA were talking to investors in one of their regular earnings calls and discussing their upcoming plans.
"We are planning to launch 14 new titles to players this fiscal year," commented EA chief executive officer Andrew Wilson. "That includes four new EA Sports titles — FIFA, Madden, NHL, and one more unannounced sports game — all of which deliver on the mix of creativity, authenticity, and quality that sets EA Sports apart. … Our FY21 plans also include four more games drawing on the breadth of our IP, from Command & Conquer Remastered to unannounced games for our console and PC players. We'll have more games from indie developers launching this year through EA Partners, and two new mobile titles leveraging top IP that we'll bring to players worldwide."
According to Venturebeat the eighth title out of those fourteen games is a "HD remake of an EA game", "and that HD remaster of an EA game is the Mass Effect Trilogy."
Then, in July we found out that "Art of the Mass Effect Trilogy: Expanded Edition" will be hitting store shelves next year on March 23rd and, like previous Mass Effect art books and graphic novels, will be published by Dark Horse Comics. It seems very odd that a book based on game that hasn't been on the shelves since 2017 is being published in 2021, that is unless there's a new/old game on the way.
That brings us up to date and on to GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grub who claims the remastered games may be out this October. "Up until like this last week, I know the plan for sure was to announce it in early October, release in later in October. So good news," he said on the Gamesbeat podcast. However, he then tempered expectations by adding "Maybe bad news, it's 2020, maybe that could start to slip, it sounds like maybe that's a possibility, nothing for sure yet. I know it's real. I've seen more than enough evidence to know it's real, but it's still 2020 and they haven't announced it yet."
Personally I don't think we will see the game in October, EA have FIFA 21, Madden 21, NHL 21, and Star Wars: Squadrons all launching in October, that's already a huge number of games for them to try and sell and promote, they don't need a another. They also have a couple of indie titles, Lost in Random and It Takes Two out before the end of the year, a remaster seems better suited to release early next year, maybe at the start in January when everyone has gift cards to spend.
Source: YouTube
The mythology of India is vast and varied, but its richness has rarely been the focal point in video games. Many outside of India will be at least somewhat aware of Hindu gods like Shiva, Vishnu, and Hanuman, while the story of Diwali featuring Rama, Sita, and the demon king Ravana has also become known in nations around the world, but most won't be aware of much beyond that.
Raji: An Ancient Epic is a game that explores aspects of these myths with its own twist, and the Indian studio Nodding Head Games has made a valiant effort to bring Indian mythology to gamers.
The game follows Raji as she attempts to rescue her brother Golu from the demon army of Mahabalasura. Mahabalasura was imprisoned by the gods but escaped took his revenge with this invasion. After seeing her brother kidnapped, Raji is blessed by the goddess of war Durga and given her first weapon, the Trishul, with further gods granting her more weapons as she continues her adventure. Each one allows for different approaches in fights, especially as they can be imbued with elemental powers of fire, lightning and ice.
Combat is quite simple to get to grips with. Switching between weapons is quick, going hand in hand with Raji's acrobatic abilities, thanks to her circus upbringing. She can run up walls and flip off them to land strikes that look more and more impressive as weapon abilities are upgraded.
There is some good enemy variety, going from fast-paced monkey-like demons to towering demons that are slow but deal a lot more damage. There are moments when enemies swarm Raji and it can be a bit overwhelming, but once you learn enemy styles they are easier to manage. A few boss fights are sprinkled through the seven-hour playtime, but they lack that spark to make them particularly entertaining or memorable. The final boss in particular is let down for lacking difficulty and featuring music that doesn't make it feel as epic as it should.
The other side of Raji: An Ancient Epic is platforming, and it's here where the game really falls down – excuse the pun. Controlling the direction of Raji's jump feels inconsistent, leading to missing platforms, or she will sometimes simply not jump far enough even when the jump is perfectly lined up. It can be quite a frustrating experience alongside the path ahead that's sometimes hard to spot. It also doesn't help that a lot of actions are tied to one context sensitive button, be it climbing then grabbing a ledge or climbing then jumping off a wall. Sometimes Raji will do one thing when you want her to do another. There is also very little exploration off the beaten path in Raji: An Ancient Epic as most levels are linear, which makes these things feels that little bit more frustrating.
Where Raji: An Ancient Epic fares better is with its environment designs. You can tell Nodding Head put a lot of focus into the presentation of the game, from the environments Raji traverses – one particular area is a visual masterpiece – to the cutscenes having a shadow puppet style. They also delve into other Hindu myths through murals found in the world, their significance explained by the narration of Vishnu and Durga.
The voice acting for Vishnu and Durga is great, but Raji's portrayal lacks a certain punch. She might be in a battle against demons to save her brother but sometimes the emotion just comes across as a bit flat, while the opposite is true of one of the bosses who is very hammed up. It's backed by a soundtrack with traditional Indian inspirations that accompanies the action and visuals very well… outside of that final boss battle.
I'm leaning forward in my seat, urging the car to go faster. My fingers are grabbing the steering wheel as hard as they can, a picture of concentration painted across my face. This is what former rally driver Markku Alén once coined as 'maximum attack', which can only mean one thing, that WRC 9 is the first officially-licenced World Rally Championship game that has kept my attention for many years.
For the uninitiated, what we have here is a game that replicates the real-life FIA World Rally Championship. Traditionally held across 13 events around the world, this is point-to-point racing against the clock, with a co-driver delivering a rough idea of what sort of corner is coming up next.
The license means all the official drivers and cars, across four classes, are present alongside stages that are similar, but not like-for-like, to those found in the real world championship.
Think of this as F1 2020, but for those who wear bobble hats and like to spend their Sundays walking through a Welsh field at 5AM to catch a glimpse of a car driving past. Me, then.
The main focal point is the Career mode, working your way up from Junior WRC, through WRC 3, WRC 2 and finally into the main WRC to fight for the overall world championship. You can manage your team in terms of vehicle and personnel upgrades, contract offers, objectives and of course, winning rallies. Between all of this are fun events featuring historic cars or extreme conditions to break things up.
The problems start with the career objectives, which for the most point are stupid. How about not using hard tyres for the next two events? Completely pointless. Or let's try completing a number of extra events within the next six weeks? Not possible, as the event calendar simply won't allow you to. Thankfully your on-stage performance is a bigger determinant of success.
There's also a lack of customisation in any form, which has become de rigueur these days, even for officially licensed titles. There's an extensive upgrade path, effectively identical to the one in last year's WRC 8, just don't expect to have the ability to build your own team from the ground up.
Your rivals are more erratic than a Kris Meeke rally performance. You can have a good run and finish 20 seconds off the pace on one stage, only to beat everyone by half a minute driving like a rookie on the next. Some serious balancing is required across the events.
There's also just a litany of strange, small, defects too. Your driver and co-driver have the same head. One of the in-game tutorial voice-overs plays at the wrong time, causing much confusion. I signed for M-Sport Ford in WRC 2, only to have a Škoda branded workshop. On one Monte Carlo stage, there's the top of a tree growing in the middle of the road. The in-car steering wheel animation doesn't match your inputs.
Usually, at this point in a WRC review, I would go on to talk about some slightly shabby graphics, unruly vehicle handling and moan about the sound, before summing up as an enjoyable game that lacks a certain sparkle.
Not this year.
The main breakthrough is the way the cars handle. The vehicles have significant weight to them. The WRC 2 cars have pliant suspension that soaks up bumps, rolls a little through corners and provides satisfying body control. Previously, the main WRC class cars would be very skittish, a slight abrasion throwing them around too much. Now, thanks to a leap forward in suspension control, they ride over lumps and even corner edges with ease. Just like they should.
This inspires confidence and rewards you for pushing harder each time. Now, instead of the game physics being the limitation to speedy progress, it's your brain's ability to stay up to speed with the action. Headphones on, steering wheel plugged in and a singular goal. Time to enable your race face.
Using a gamepad still results in the odd over-correction, being a bit too easy to end up weaving down the road in the quickest car, but you can adapt to that. Give it time and you will be rewarded. Handbraking around a hairpin is more satisfying than licking the lid of a yoghurt.
New locations for this season include Japan, New Zealand and Kenya. The African stages are a little bland, perhaps the most derivative in the whole game, but New Zealand offers some of the best roads in a rally game, flowing from one camber to the next. Understandably, last-minute post-Covid-19 events such as Estonia and Ypres are missing.
Even the stages that are carried over from previous WRC titles feel fresh because the overall look of the game has been given a polish, and it's just so much more satisfying to drive. The lighting, in particular, is a dramatic step forward, especially at night or during a bedazzling sunrise. Detail in the surroundings have also moved forward, from the wind turbines of Portugal to the roadside fires in snowy Sweden.
While the cars themselves still sound less interesting than a health and safety seminar, other noises such as transmission whine, squeaky brakes and tyre scrubbing add to the authentic vibe alongside dynamic weather. One minute the sun is shining, the next you'll need windscreen wipers and lights.
It would be remiss of me at this point not to mention the direct competition, DiRT Rally 2.0. The Clubs in that game helped power me through the lockdown. Rally drivers, motorsport publications and car manufacturers were able to set up online rallies for fans to compete in, at the end of which was an online leaderboard – I competed in several. Pleasingly, what is essentially the same feature is also part of WRC 9, alongside the now accustomed eSports and online lobby support.
An enhanced suite of online features and the promise of additional Finnish and Portuguese stages, not to mention next-gen upgrades coming for PS5 and Xbox Series X, will mean it has a longer shelf life than previous instalments. I certainly plan on playing it for the foreseeable future.
Remembering Shining Force III, Sega's answer to Fire Emblem
From its obscure origins, becoming first known to western audiences through Super Smash Bros. Melee, Fire Emblem has gone from a niche to a genuine tentpole series for Nintendo, the epic Three Houses on Switch becoming its all-time crowning success. With its first anniversary not long gone, I had planned to revisit it as there was still one of the narrative paths I had yet to complete. Instead, I've found myself sidetracked by another tactical RPG, one that's been close to my heart since long before I awakened to Intelligent Games' series.
As I've written on TheSixthAxis before, I grew up as a Sega fanboy, and back then Sega had two major RPG series: Phantasy Star and Shining Force. The first one had passed me by until its online iteration on the Dreamcast, but for all intents and purposes, Shining Force on Mega Drive introduced me to RPGs. Developed by Camelot Software Planning (formerly known as Sonic! Software Planning), it was actually different from the other dungeon-crawling random battling RPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, belonging in the sub-genre of the tactical RPG more akin to table-top RPGs – or a fancier-looking Chess.
As the hero, you didn't start off very powerful but you instead had command over a growing battalion of troops who cut the stock fantasy types, from your tough centaur knight to physically weak but powerful mages, archers for ranged attacks, and so forth. With battles taking place over a map made up of square grids, you move your units, trying to best position yourself to attack, cast spells or sometimes avoid/bait the enemy.
Objectively, Shining Force was a simpler tactics game compared to Fire Emblem since your units only attacked during their turn; it also lacked a defined weapon triangle or support system. In any case, I couldn't compare at the time since a Fire Emblem game was only localised for the first time for Game Boy Advance in 2003. It didn't matter because I was simply absorbed by its fantasy trappings and engrossed with taking my time to pull off the perfect strategy. Considering Shining Force is included in the Mega Drive Classics collections, as well as in the Mega Drive Mini's library, its legacy hasn't been lost on Sega either.
However, it was Shining Force III on the Saturn that was the real revelation for me. Admittedly, the world was taken by Final Fantasy VII by this point, but I loved Shining Force III's turn-based tactical gameplay and its steadfast approach to generating its sprites and 3D models in real-time instead of relying on pre-rendered backgrounds and CGI.
It was also a boldly ambitious game, or rather a trilogy of games. Preceding the three-way narratives of Fire Emblem: Fates and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Shining Force III split its story into three scenarios following the journey of three heroes whose fates are intertwined in a geopolitical conflict and conspiracy ultimately tied to a darker force. These aren't like the 'what if' scenarios of Three Houses, where one narrative choice would contradict another, rather they complement each other to build a full epic.
It's a fascinating approach as when you play as Synbios from the Aspinian Republic, you'll occasionally cross paths with Prince Medion from the Destonian Empire, hearing how they've come to your aid despite you being on opposite sides of a conflict (though it turns out both the Republic and the Empire have their own problems from within), while the game takes an amusing choice to limit your protagonist's dialogue to ellipsis. Certain actions from one party can also have an impact on the other, such as whether you manage to save the archer Garosh who then goes on to join Medion's party in his campaign.
Sadly, this level of sophistication was something western players never got to experience. The PAL version of Shining Force III was released in June 1998 when the Saturn was basically on its last legs. This disc was just the first scenario, the game's cliffhanger between Synbios and Medion's forces purposely re-contextualised in the translation to try to give it some kind of closure. Not that you could fool the die-hard Saturn loyalists, seeing as the UK's Sega Saturn Magazine ran an import preview of the second scenario in the same issue as their review of the PAL release.
By this point I had grown used to seeing pages of delightful import oddities (and well, some pretty pervy stuff too) on those pages, but I was desperate to find out what had happened in Medion's story and was sorely disappointed that, despite owning a chipped machine, there'd still be a huge language barrier preventing me from seeing the saga through to its end.
So imagine my delight when I recently discovered that fans had come together to resolve this. Beginning back in 2005, a software programmer going by Knight 0f Dragon developed the software that allowed Japanese text in a game to be replaced with English text. By 2006, the fan community at Shining Force Central, led by Steve Simmons (going by "legalize freedom!"), began the monumental task of translating and patching the entire trilogy so that it could finally be played in English in full.
The translation is still continuing to evolve, with a patch V21 in progress as recent as July 2020, but having just fallen down the emulation rabbit hole and revisiting lost classics, I was happy enough to come across a folder of the whole trilogy with the V20 translation already patched in and finally got to continue the story over two decades later.
After all that time I had to replay the first scenario again just to refresh my memory, and I immediately fell back in love with the sprites, the music and the tactical battles, even if they do feel limited compared to a modern Fire Emblem. I'm now finally playing the second scenario and seeing things from Medion's perspective, how this prince is actually the underdog of the Empire, being half-commoner. I get to see how his party foiled other enemies trying to ambush the Synbios army which you only heard reports of in the first scenario. I also get to find out just what happened to redheaded mercenary Julian, who was presumed dead when he was thrown off a cliff by the big bad Galm – by the third scenario, it also becomes apparent that Julian is the game's true protagonist.
I couldn't be more grateful for this community and the years of hard work they've put in to make a lost classic like this accessible to other English-speaking fans. They're not alone in this effort since other Japan-exclusive RPGs like Sakura Wars and Mother 3 have lived on solely through fan translations too. There's obviously a murky legal area on downloading ROMs however, but what's a person to do when the original games cost a few hundred quid a piece on eBay and you can't even play two-thirds of them in English?
The obvious solution of course would be for Sega to get off their butts and localise the whole trilogy with a remastered collection, something I've been banging the drum for since the Dreamcast years. It's not a completely impossible scenario. After all, Nintendo localised the original Mother game for Wii U's Virtual Console (renamed Earthbound Beginnings) and last year we saw Square Enix finally localise Seiken Densetsu 3 as part of its Collection of Mana package, both of these games considerably older than Shining Force III. Sega has also been hard at work pumping out its back catalogue on Switch with its Sega Ages collection, and while most of these are arcade titles, they do include the original Phantasy Star as well as the first two Puyo Puyo titles, previously exclusive to Japan.
The thornier issue is whether or not Sega actually wants to. I don't doubt there's a lot of work involved with localising the trilogy, let alone one not known to many people and doesn't share the same 'beloved' status as say Final Fantasy. There may also be a conflict with the direction of the Shining series itself, which hasn't had a tactical turn-based entry since 2009's Shining Force Feather, released on the DS only in Japan. It's also not a good sign when the Shining Force Central community also claimed back in 2016 that their Twitter was blocked by the official Shining account for unknown reasons.
But when Fire Emblem is showing how a formerly niche genre can turn into a blockbuster franchise, surely there couldn't be a better time for a long-awaited Shining Force revival from Sega? I could carry on waiting but right now, I'll take my hat off to the passionate community of translators and hackers for making my dream come true.
Wonder Boy: Asha In Monster World revealed for PS4 and Switch
A remake of Wonder Boy IV is on the way as Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World has been revealed for PS4 and Switch, and it will be released in 2021. The game seems to be a direct adaptation of the original 1994 release. The first trailer for Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World shows direct comparisons between the older release and they remake, with scenes shown side by side. Obviously, the new version has updated visual design and there will likely be some gameplay changes too.
The original Wonder Boy team from Westone Bit Entertainment have got back together to work on this remake, with Wonder Boy series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa. He is joined by Shinichi Sakamoto, Maki Ozora, and Takanori Kurihara. The plot summary of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster Land says:
Asha, the warrior protagonist of the game, is involved in a serious incident that will affect the survival of her world. Our green-haired heroine doesn't have to save the world all alone, and sets off on an adventure with her cute flying friend, the blue Pepelogoo. Asha and the Pepelogoo have to work together to become the heroes the world needs them to be. The road ahead is long – will they be able to save their world?
The last Wonder Boy to get a remake was Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. In our review for that, Dom wrote:
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a perfect example of a remake that's been done for reasons beyond simple material gain. Lizardcube have clearly put everything they have into making it unerringly respectful of the original – for good and bad – but this has all the look of a gorgeous modern indie platformer, while retaining the old-school gameplay that made it so memorable the first time around.
You can read the full Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap review here.
Source: IGN
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will have a town creation RPG companion game
Rabbit and Bear Studios' Kickstarter for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has been a huge success. Over $4.5 million was raised by more than 46,000 backers allowing for Rabbit and Bear to confirm development for the Suikoden spiritual successor. That total makes Eiyuden Chronicle the third highest backed video game on Kickstarter. The original goal was to raise approximately $500,000. With the additional funds Rabbit and Bear is partnering with Natsume-Atari to create a spin off town creation and management game, that will release before Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. The studio laid out some details, saying:
- It will release before the main game, which will hopefully hold you over during the excruciatingly long 2 and a half year wait.
- It will feature a variety of different "lifestyle" mini-games that will allow you to gather a wide variety of different materials to build up your town/farm/house.
- The goal is to allow these materials to transfer over to Eiyuden Chronicle allowing you a head-start at crafting some of the different items/armor/etc in the game.
- You will get to meet a few of the characters that appear in Eiyuden Chronicle and get to know them a bit earlier.
- There may be some kind of battle mechanic, but we are still talking it over.
However, this companion title will not be a free addition. Rabbit and Bear explain that platform holders will take a 30% cut of the base game price that will be charged to non-backers to allow for free codes for backers, a cost that cannot be met. Instead, the studio is asking backers to pledge an extra $7 to get a copy of this town creation RPG. If backers choose not there will be other opportunities to buy this title at another time.
Rabbit & Bear has announced that it will be developing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC. Oh, and the next generation Nintendo console though the team does not know what that will entail.
Source: Press Release
Send telegrams with your butt as a Kiwi bird in KeyWe
Yes, I am writing this just because I wanted to get that headline on TheSixthAxis, but hey, little things like that make me happy and I get to talk about a game you probably have not heard of.
KeyWe is post office based puzzler featuring cooperative Kiwi birds called Jeff and Deborah who must jump, flap, peck and butt slam their way around the postal office to get the mail out on time. The other citizens of Bungalow Basin will stop by the office to drop off letters which must redirected to the correct location. You might be sending telegrams by typing with your butt, or sorting parcels, and each level is a day in the calendar, so as the season changes the tasks change.
Bungalow Basin is a "rugged place" and Jeff and Deborah will have to deal with monsoons, sandstorms, and blizzards (a bit odd given that they are in a jungle, but whatever), along with "paranormal activity" and clogged toilets.
As you might expect you can dress the two Kiwi birds in a variety of outfits including headgear and backpacks. The game has a single player mode and co-op is available both locally and online.
KeyWe is heading to PC in 2021 via Sold Out Games, you can check out a new gameplay video from Gamescom 2020 here.
You can catch up on the rest of the big announcements from Gamescom 2020 here.
Source: YouTube
Ubisoft will remove raised black fist imagery from Tom Clancy's Elite Squad
Ubisoft just cannot stop courting controversy at the moment, and this time it is the publisher's mobile title Tom Clancy's Elite Squad that is in the spotlight. In this game, there is an "evil" group opposing the government which the likes of Sam Fisher go up against. So far, standard fare seen in a lot of Ubisoft games. The issue stems from the logo choice for the organisation called Umbra whose mission is to change the system. The logo chosen to represent Umbra is a raised black fist. The same logo that is representative of the Black Lives Matter movement. You can watch the opening below.
In a statement today, Ubisoft confirmed it would be removing the imagery from Tom Clancy's Elite Squad:
Imagery that appeared in the opening video sequence of Tom Clancy's Elite Squad featuring a 'raised fist' was insensitive and harmful in both its inclusion and how it was portrayed. We have listened to and appreciate the players and the broader community who have pointed it
out and we apologize. This 'raised fist' imagery will be removed in the next title update this Tuesday, September 1 on Android and as soon as possible on iOS.
This would not have been a last-minute addition to the opening scene. The designs would have been seen and approved by multiple people yet it was still signed off. The point seems to draw parallels between the organisation Umbra in the game, with the real-life Black Lives Matter movement. Both are protesting to change the system. Umbra says it wants a more egalitarian society, while the BLM movement gained traction to oppose police brutality following the murder of George Floyd. While Ubisoft has apologised questions will be raised asking how the imagery was approved in the first place, and who approved it.
Song of Horror will be released for PS4 and Xbox One
Protocol Games has confirmed that its survival horror title Song of Horror will be released for PS4 and Xbox One. There is a wait of a couple of months but Song of Horror will release in time for Halloween with the release date confirmed as October 29th. Song of Horror started releasing episodically on PC in 2019, before being completed earlier this year. The game has been deemed a must have for horror fans, and you can check out the trailer below.
In our review for Song of Horror, Steve wrote:
Watch as a beekeeper is recruited in a Watch Dogs Legion recruitment mission
One of the main selling points about Watch Dogs Legion is that you can play as anyone in the near future London of Ubisoft's game. However, before you can actually select someone to play as they need to be recruited into DedSec, and the way that is done is through Recruitment missions. In the latest gameplay footage, Ubisoft show one of those recruitment missions where DedSec attempts to recruit a beekeeper. To do that you have to do them a favour, and in this case, the beekeeper needs some files deleted.
The footage starts with going to locate the beekeeper in Aldgate and talking to her. She mentions that Albion is using some of her research for military style purposes, and she wants it all gone. So, the recruiter heads to Lambeth where an Albion agent is located with the location of the research. In this footage, a stealth approach is chosen through hacking the camera which downloads the file location. That is in New Scotland Yard. So, you head over there and use a football hooligan to infiltrate and get to the files. The hooligan uses melee attacks and one of the details in Watch Dogs Legion is that enemies will not escalate to firearms unless you do.
Watch Dogs Legion will be out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on 29th October. The game will also be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with Smart Delivery confirmed for the Xbox ecosystem.
Source: YouTube
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood's new trailer gives a background of main character Cahal
Cyanide and Nacon released a new trailer for Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood and this one gives a small glimpse at why Cahal, the main character of the game, is very angry at the petroleum company Endron. The trailer shows Cahal and others, including his wife, protesting against Endron. That event quickly turns to bloodshed as Endron's private security force opens fire on the protestors. Cahal is not going to take this down, and the trailer shows him returning to the scene with revenge on his mind.
Based on the tabletop RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse, a part of the World of Darkness universe that also contains Vampire: The Masquerade. The full story follows the Cahal, an eco-terrorist werewolf banished from his tribe, but deciding to fight against the corporations that have caused pollution across the American Northwest. The game will let you shapeshift between wolf, human and werewolf form, to explore, converse, and fight across this region.
The game is in development by Cyanide, best known for the Styx games and Call of Cthulhu. It's actually the Styx: Shards of Darkness team working on this, so there might be some elements that will carry across from that game's stealth action, though the snippets of gameplay shown above certainly lean on the heavy metal and action. In a quirk of licensing and the timing of game company acquisitions, the game isn't being published by Paradox Interactive, who hold the rights to the World of Darkness, but by Nacon. You might know Nacon better by their previous name Bigben Interactive, who recently decided to adopt the branding of their peripheral creating subsidiary.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood will be released on February 4th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Source: Press Release
Sony will continue to explore bringing first party PlayStation games to PC
Sony has already started porting over some of its first party exclusives to PC. After all, Horizon Zero Dawn was recently released on PC and while not a first party title the PS4 console exclusive Death Stranding was also released on PC. According to a new report from Sony (courtesy of ResetEra), the publisher will not be letting up on bringing PlayStation titles to PC. The main motivation here is increased revenue which makes sense as the main driving factor, though the report does suggest Sony would like players to make PlayStation their first choice platform.
SIE aims to achieve robust revenue growth by accelerating the virtuous cycle that has been established for the PlayStation Platform. This entails increasing active users and play time, enhancing network services and reinforcing content IP so that consumers select PlayStation as their platform of choice. Targeted outcomes include growth in active users, stronger retention and a shorter cash conversion cycle, from which expanded cash flow can be expected. We will explore expanding our 1st party titles to the PC platform, in order to promote further growth in our profitability.
There are a number of recent first party titles that could make the jump to PC, if Sony would allow it. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and Uncharted games would be a huge announcement for PC, as would Marvel's Spider-Man, and Ratchet & Clank. God of War would also be a big release on PC, along with Ghost of Tsushima. Perhaps even Days Gone could be made available on PC. There have been rumours of Bloodborne being released for PC but that is more of a third party exclusive considering it was developed by FromSoftware.
Of course, how Sony approaches this and how it decides what to bring to PC is unknown. Though, with Horizon Zero Dawn already on PC it would not be a surprise to see Horizon Forbidden West appear on PC too.
Source: ResetEra
Cris Tales new trailer introduces two new characters
A new trailer for the JRPG Cris Tales has been released by Modus Games, showing the motivation behind why Crisbell is fighting across the past, present, and future. Crisbell can travel through different times to assist the inhabitants of Cris Tales, as well as use time to change how enemies fight in battles. The trailer also introduces two new members of Crisbell's party, and they are JKR-721 and Zas. It seems one of them is a bit of a speedster too.
The game is heavily inspired by Colombia – the demo's release is actually landed on Colombian Independence Day to celebrate the architecture, culture, and character design that they've infused the game with. As well as some of the main story, the new demo also features the Colosseum mode, where you take on eight waves of battles alongside Wilhelm, leading up to a mini-boss fight. The mode will be larger and more expansive in the full release.
Cris Tales will be released on November 17th for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Cris Tales will also be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Source: Press Release
Serious Sam 4 gameplay shows Sam taking out enemies in a Popemobile
When you imagine the Popemobile there is probably a specific vehicle that pops into your mind. So, you may be wondering how Sam is taking out enemies in Serious Sam 4 using such a mode of transport. Well, forget what you know about the Popemobile as Croteam has put its own twist on it. Think less car and more giant weaponised mech. This Popemobile has fully automatic heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, so the invaders will really have something to think about.
Croteam announced the game's key features including the Legion system that can generate thousands of enemies on the field. That's a lot of shooting to do. The key features are listed below.
- HORDES OF INVADERS – The iconic cast of alien invaders returns with some new reinforcements! Fight your way through unbelievable numbers of Mental's minions, including the iconic Headless Kamikaze, Beheaded Rocketeer, Kleer, Scrapjack, Werebull, and Khnum! Square off against brand new enemies and towering monsters like the frantic Processed, repulsive Belcher, the hard-hitting Zealot, and more.
- EXPLOSIVE ARSENAL – Armed with a slew of devastating weapons, pick your tool for any situation. Lay waste to Mental's Horde using the powerful double-barreled shotgun, the punishing minigun, the powerful chainsaw launcher, a brand new auto shotgun, and the iconic cannon. Upgrade your toys, and enjoy the violent beauty of the lock-on rocket launcher, and the mighty laser beam of death.
- COOPERATIVE MAYHEM – Smash through the action-packed campaign with friends in 4-player online co-op mode! Tackle exciting primary missions and thrilling side quests in modified difficulties for an extra challenge.
- LEGION SYSTEM – Serious Sam 4 unleashes some of the biggest moments in the series' history with the new Legion System and battlefields teeming with thousands of enemies!
Serious Sam 4 will be released for PC and Stadia on September 24th.
Source: Press Release
Blood Bowl 3 announced and it will be out early 2021
Cyanide and Nacon have confirmed a new instalment in the Blood Bowl franchise with the reveal of Blood Bowl 3. It is expected to launch in early 2021 with 12 playable races that come with their own cheerleaders and arenas. The game will feature both a campaign mode and multiplayer modes, though those are to be detailed. The playable races will include elves, humans, and orcs, and two of the new teams are Black Orcs and Imperial Nobility. Like the previous games this will be a turn based strategy title. You can watch the reveal trailer below.
As you give out instructions the team will attempt to get into the touchdown zone, and stop the opponents from doing the same. Injuries wil be a common feature and some players may be lost forever due to being fatally attacked on the field. Blood Bowl 3 will adopt the new edition rules to match the new board game edition coming out this year. Blood Bowl 2 released back in 2015, and in our review for that Dave wrote:
It's difficult to overlook a lot of the flaws with Blood Bowl 2, but at the same time if you have a group of likeminded people willing to create a league, then this is a great if somewhat limited option. It's everything you'd expect in a Blood Bowl game, with a great tutorial for newcomers and a coat of paint, looking as good as the Citadel Minatures you'd see in the window of a Games Workshop. While the core game has been sadly out of print at the store for some time, this is the most accessible way of getting your Blood Bowl fix.
You can read the full Blood Bowl 2 review here. Blood Bowl 3 is set to be released for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Switch
Source: Press Release
Simmers need to stop losing their marbles over The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu
During GamesCom's Opening Night Live, a brand new Sims 4 DLC pack was announced. Star Wars: Journey to Batuu based on the attraction at Disneyland Anaheim, with all sorts of Star Wars related stuff that you can bring back to decorate your Sim's house with.
Judging by the likes and dislikes ratio for the official trailer, people (or Simmers as they tend to be known as) hate it, but should they be more forgiving?
Firstly though, a bit of context for the uninitiated in how The Sims 4's DLC works. Generally speaking, The Sims 4 has had three content updates each year. These come in the form of big Expansion Packs, smaller Game Packs, and even smaller Stuff Packs. The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu is a Game Pack, which is the regular size Sims meal. They generally cost around £17.99 and have a fair amount of stuff in them, but not as much as the full-blown expansion packs. A big reason that people are annoyed with the Journey to Batuu Game Pack is because it's not what they wanted. They didn't want Star Wars, they wanted to make hotels, hve more options for kids, or introduce new themes like farming or weddings.
Much of the vitriol seems to stem from Simmers that were jilted by the previous Stuff Pack, which was decided via a poll. On the surface, you would think that the community got what they asked for: an arts and crafts themed pack with the gameplay being all about knitting. However, the general consensus from the Simmers has been that the developers at Maxis haven't been listening to the fans, doing the minimum with what was apparently a barebones effort.
This kind of complaint, that Maxis just aren't listening, is not exactly a new point of contention either. After all it took five long years before Simmers got the Discover University expansion pack.
However, I think this tweet makes a fantastic point: some people may be interested in different things.
I'll admit, I'm not the BIGGEST starwars fan out there .. I do like it, but I don't go out of my way for it. However due to this pack my husband might actually try the game finally after years of me asking him to try it so, will say this this may very well bring in new players.
— MexicanKiwi91 #BlackLivesMatter (@MKiwi91) August 28, 2020
I own The Sims 4, but I'm not the primary person who plays the game – that would be my partner. Do we own all the Sims 4 DLC? Of course not! We're not made of money. Instead, we pick and choose the packs we're most interested in. My partner wants to spend lots of time raising dogs, looking after the planet, and having her Sims go to university, so naturally picked up those expansions while I just wanted to spend a few hours having my Sims go to Hogwarts and hunt aliens.
Both of these styles of play are valid and with a game like The Sims 4 there can absolutely be something for everyone. There are some who like their Sims experience grounded in reality, while others want a more fantasy-based vibe. Journey to Batuu has gotten me properly interested in The Sims for the first time since the Realms of Magic game pack, so I'm much more inclined to pick it up.
At the same time, I'd then be more than happy for the next Sims 4 expansion pack to feature something long-term fans want, and agree that Star Wars is definitely not in keeping with what a lot of Simmers have been expecting – it's not really a realistic DLC pack. But let's be honest, the Island Living expansion and its mermaids weren't exactly grounded in reality either.
The arguably bigger argument is that by using Star Wars instead of a generic space theme, this is shameless product placement and all about the money – a point that has been made many times in the comments of the official trailer uploaded to YouTube. I don't think this argument holds water. EA have exclusive rights to make games with Star Wars stuff in it, so it was really only a matter of time before it came to The Sims. They're simply taking advantage of a huge, multi-generation defining IP that they can already use without having to broker a deal first. I'd also argue that EA and Maxis have done much worse with The Sims and product placement over the years.
If we're talking about The Sims at its most shallow, let me introduce you to The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff. It was literally an advertisement for the fashion retailer's current outfit range in 2007. Sure, you could design your own boutique, but it was mostly about the fashion.
It also generated this literary work of art:
But this is from over a decade ago. Surely Maxis learned their lesson? No, in fact I'd argue that The Sims 4: Moschino stuff pack from last year is far worse. This was yet another fashion-based DLC pack that not only acted as product placement, but locked away a career choice that some people might have wanted: the freelance fashion photographer. New careers are normally reserved for either Expansion or Game Packs, so locking it behind this is a big blow for those who wanted the career, but didn't want to support Moschino.
Thematically though, these do fit in better with how many play the Sims than Star Wars ever could. I get that. I also think people need to look at Journey to Batuu in a different way. If you're someone, like me, who just wants to hold a fancy dress party in their Sims 4 house (because we can't really hold real-life parties during a pandemic), then there literally isn't a better theme than a Star Wars Cantina.
Observer: System Redux confirmed for PC, demo out now
Bloober Team has confirmed that Observer: System Redux will be released on PC, having previously confirmed the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X. The PC version will have the same upgrades that have been confirmed for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, including the visual upgrades, including 4K support, and gameplay upgrades such as improved stealth and neuronal interrogation sequences. Observer: System Redux will also add three new missions called Errant Signal, Her Fearful Symmetry, and It Runs in the Family.
Players that already own Observer on PC will not get these upgrades for free. Instead, there will be a cost with the upgrade fee currently reduced by 80% and it will remain that way until September 15th.
In our review for Observer Tuffcub wrote:
If you don't like 'walking sims' then Observer isn't going to change your mind, even if it does include some rudimentary detective work. However, if you like to be swept away by a story and pulled in to a world where every door has a new experience behind it, then close the curtains, turn off the lights, crank up the surround sound and immerse yourself in this great cyberpunk horror tale.
You can read the full Observer review here.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will have an optional 60fps mode
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will have an optional 60 frames per second (fps) mode, Insomniac Games has confirmed in an interview with Famitsu. However, the 60fps will not be playable in 4K resolution. If you want to play in 4K then you will have to settle for 30fps. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is taking advantage of the technology offered by the PS5. Loading times are all but gone allowing for rift jumping between stages to be very smooth. If you missed it earlier, you can catch the extended gameplay demo below.
Quite a lot of information has come out over the last couple of days for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and we have that list of information below.
- The Rift Tether is the name for the ability for latch onto dimensional rifts and kind of pull them toward him.
- There will be no load screens throughout the game.
- You can feel the energy of a shatter bomb fade away through the haptic feedback of the DualSense
- The adaptive trigger can be used to enable secondary fire with weapons. The Enforcer can fire one shot by half-pulling the trigger until you feel a bit of resistance, before then pulling it all the way to fire the second.
- This is a canonical continuation of Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, but can be treated as a standalone game.
- There are more dimensional rift abilities that haven't been shown.
- The fast-paced dimension hopping will be reserved for when you chase after Doctor Nefarious.
- Though she will be playable, the mysterious female Lombax name was not revealed. It might not be Abby, though.
- The game will be out in the PS5 "launch window", which means it likely won't be out on day one, but could be some time up to 6 months later, based on the broadest definition of the phrase. In other words, expect it in the first half of 2021.
The game is one of two that Insomniac have in the works for PS5, the other being Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. That game is built on the foundations of the 2018 PS4 exclusive, looking to tell the story of the second person to don the Spider-Man costume, Miles Morales.
Source: Famitsu
War Mongrels is a WWII tactical title heading to PC and consoles
Destructive Creations has announced an isometric real time strategy game called War Mongrels, which will be heading to PC, current gen consoles, and next gen consoles. War Mongrels is set during the Eastern Front of the Second World War but it is not focused on the military. Instead, players will be controlling squads of guerrilla fighters. The story starts with two German soldiers disobeying orders and deserting the German side. The focus is on the Germans who opposed the Nazi regime, including people such as nurses and teachers who join the guerrilla fighters.
PlayStation 5 already has a rap song dedicated to it
As the hype train for next gen continues to speed towards us other forms of media are joining in and we have discovered the first rap song dedicated to Sony's upcoming console. The track, 'PS5' by Lil Last Lil, is as slow jam with heavy basslines with Mr. Lil rapping about an unnamed lady "playing games on PS5."
Other lyrics explain how he also had a PS1 and PS2, and he's very annoyed with the woman as "she won't pre-order." The image for track, which is available on Spotify and Amazon Music, is of a small pill embossed with the PlayStation logo. Other tracks by Lil Last Lil also feature small pills of various colours, goodness knows what they are, I have no idea.
I should warn you that the track features some naughty words so don't listen to it if grandma is in the room.
If the lady in Mr. Lil's track changes her mind and would like to pre-order a PlayStation 5 then she will be pleased to know Sony have opened registration for pre-orders over in the United States.
You will need to give them your PSN ID to sign up, but this does not mean you're guaranteed a console.
There will be a limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order, so we will be inviting some of our existing consumers to be one of the first to pre-order one from PlayStation. Pre-order reservations will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis, so once you get an invite via email, we encourage you to follow instructions and act fast.
If you do pre-register Sony will decide if you do get a pre-order invitation "based on previous interests and PlayStation activities," whatever that means, and you will be limited on how many consoles and accessories you can reserve.
Each invitation is open for a limited time and quantities are limited per PSN ID per transaction:
1 PS5 Console or 1 PS5 Digital Edition
2 DualSense wireless controllers
2 DualSense charging stations
2 Pulse 3D wireless headsets
2 Media remotes
2 HD Cameras
You can read the full FAQ here, and register your interest here.
Source: Spotify