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 Ε koda 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
Square Enix have give more details on cosmetic items in Marvel's Avengers and unlike other games where you get a battle pass per season, in Avengers you will buy a Hero Challenge Card for each character.
These cost 1,000 credits each and a 500 credit pack costs $5.00, but if you complete that card you will earn back the cost of the card in credits. It seems if you grind hard enough you will only ever need to buy one Hero Card at the start, grind that and get your money back, and then use that to buy the next Hero Card.
The six launch characters will all come with a Hero Challenge Card so you won't need to fork out an extra $60 on day one.
Here's more from Square Enix.
We've activated the premium Hero Challenge Card rewards for all 6 starting heroes at launch, so you can earn and enjoy all content across the 40 tiers for free. When we introduce new Hero Challenge Cards for post-launch heroes, the cost to activate the premium rewards will be 1,000 Credits.
We want to reward players for their time, so once you activate the premium rewards of a Hero Challenge Card for 1,000 Credits, you can earn everything on that card, including more Credits! If you complete all challenges on your Hero Challenge Card, not only will you earn back your 1,000 Credit activation cost, all the content you'll earn has a value of over 12,500 Credits. Remember, these rewards deliver fun in-game cosmetic enhancements and effects, but they do not provide a gameplay advantage.
Hero Challenge Cards do not rotate and won't be retired, so once you've activated premium rewards, there is no time limit or risk in spreading your focus between heroes. That being said, If you're in a hurry, you can buy "skips" to get through tiers faster.
The Hero Challenge Cards include 40 tiers of free and premium rewards such as:
- Rare Resource Bundle: Nanotubes, Nanites, Plasma, Catalyst
- Resource Bundle: Fragments & Upgrade Modules
- Upgrade Module Bundles: Upgrade Modules
- Exotic Resource Bundle: Polychoron & Uru
- Units
- Credits
- Hero Nameplates
- Team Nameplates
- Emotes
- Takedowns
- Outfits
Source:Square Enix
Something for the Weekend – 29/08/20
We're right in the middle of the strangest Gamescom I can remember. The usual reason for 2020 has seen the show shift gears to be more about digital showcases and demo releases, and so far they've done a much better job at staying relevant than E3 did, but I can't say I don't miss heading over to Cologne and trekking into the convention halls for a string of appointments about all sorts of games.
In the News This Week
You can catch all the major news from Gamescom 2020 Opening Night Live here, but we've got some highlights from the show and elsewhere in video games.
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a PS5 "launch window" title – see the extended gameplay video here
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War revealed – out this November with cross-gen bundles and paid upgrades
- Fall Guys Season 2 goes medieval in October – it's now the most downloaded PlayStation Plus title ever
- Epic decide Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 4 update will not be coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac on 27th August
- The new Xbox Series X and Xbox One UI is going into testing for Insiders this week
- Genshin Impact PS4 release date has been confirmed
- Hitman 3 release date confirmed along with free PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrade option
- Frontier Developments to publish Lemnis Gate, a time-loop multiplayer FPS coming in early 2021
- The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu goes to Disneyland in September
- Joe Staten returns to help 343 Industries finish Halo Infinite's campaign
- Report: A new Nintendo Switch with 4K support is in development for 2021
- The Witcher: Monster Slayer is Pokémon Go, but for The Witcher fans
And we got the announcement of our monthly free games:
- September's Games with Gold includes The Division
- September's free PlayStation Plus games are PUBG & Street Fighter V
- Stadia Pro gets 6 more free games this September including Super Bomberman R Online and Hitman
Giveaways
We've teamed up with EPOS Sennheiser again to give away their GSP 601 Gaming Headset. We'll be running it through the weekend, with entries closing on Tuesday 1st September. Make sure you don't miss out!
Giveaway – Win an EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 601 Gaming Headset
Games in Review
We had another stacked plate of reviews this week, from Dontnod's latest narrative adventure Tell Me Why, to The Last Campfire from Hello Games, Project CARS 3, Windbound and more!
- Tell Me Why – XBO, PC – 8/10
- The Last Campfire – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC, iOS – 8/10
- Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions – PS4, XBO, PC – 8/10
- Best Friend Forever – NSW, PC – 8/10
- Chinese Parents – NSW, PC – 8/10
- No Straight Roads – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC – 8/10
- Train Sim World 2 – PS4, XBO, PC – 7/10
- Project CARS 3 – PS4, XBO, PC – 6/10 – (Video Review)
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition – PS4, NSW, iOS, And – 6/10
- Windbound – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC – 6/10
- Kandagawa Jet Girls – PS4, PC – 6/10
- Aokana – Four Rhythms Across the Blue – PS4, PSV, NSW, PC – 5/10
- Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? – Infinite Combate – PS4, XBO, NSW, PC – 3/10
And then we had two simply excellent bits of gaming kit for you to consider… if you can afford them.
- Creative SXFI Gamer Gaming Headset – 10/10
- Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog – 10/10
Featured Articles
With all of that going on, it's understandable that features and previews took a bit of a back seat this week. Still, we dove into Scarlet Nexus' Brain Punk and unique monsters as Bandai Namco look to lead the action JRPG into the next generation, while Tom has been playing Wasteland 3 for a review in progress, and Jim went hands on with Amazon's MMO New World.
I spoke to Frontier as Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition was announced for Nintendo Switch, and Aran caught up with the minds behind Foreclosed, an RPG-shooter that came from the dehumanising bureaucracy of the real world.
What We Played rounded things out for the week, featuring Wasteland 3, Project CARS 3 & Fall Guys.
Trailer Park
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War early campaign cutscene revealed
Star Wars Squadrons single player gameplay revealed
Unknown 9 is a paranormal adventure coming to PC and next-gen consoles
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga delayed to 2021 – check out the new gameplay trailer
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time new Flashback Tapes levels revealed at Gamescom
Dirt 5's Playgrounds arena creator mode revealed in new trailer
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One campaign DLC is coming out in October
Your Achievements
Here's what you in our community has been up to this week:
- hornet1990 finished Battlefield 1's single player, letting him get half his hard drive space by by deleting it, Battlefield V and COD WW2! He's now started on Horizon Zero Dawn, and been trying to upgrade his PC for some Flight Simulator 2020.
- Crazy_Del finally got the Transformers platinum, and then scooped up the 10 shortest and cheapest platinums he could find on PSN. His next target (and 450th platinum) is Batman: The Enemy Within.
- It was the usual amount of Dreams for TSBonyman, who's been making some potentially seizure-inducing audio visualisers in the game.
- And Andrewww fell in love with Erica, discovering it from his PlayStation Plus back catalogue and thoroughly enjoying its interactive movie vibes. Alongside that, he played Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime with his kids, another PS Plus game from all the way back in 2017!
I hope you have a good weekend and we'll see you on the other side!
Next Epic free game announced, get Hitman now
Epic Games have added yet another pair of video games to their growing catalogue. And guess what? They're on the house. You have from now until next Thursday to claim your free copy of Hitman (the complete first season) as well as The Shadowrun Collection.
In the meantime, Epic also confirmed that next week's free game is Into The Breach. Seriously, even if it doesn't look like your kind of game this one's an indie masterpiece everyone needs to try. Developer Subset Games take the turn-based strategy genre and turn it a superb tactical puzzler.
Into The Breach will be available to download and keep from September 3rd to September 10th. See the list below for every game Epic has given away, tagged with some our past reviews.
| Into The Breach | September 3-10, 2020 |
| Hitman | August 27-September 3, 2020 |
| Shadowrun Collection | August 27-September 3, 2020 |
| God's Trigger | August 20-27, 2020 |
| Enter the Gungeon | August 20-27, 2020 |
| The Alto Collection | August 13-20, 2020 |
| Remnant: From the Ashes | August 13-20, 2020 |
| A Total War Saga: Troy | August 13-14, 2020 |
| Wilmot's Warehouse | August 6-13, 2020 |
| Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP | July 30 – August 6, 2020 |
| Barony | July 30 – August 6, 2020 |
| 20XX | July 30 – August 6, 2020 |
| Next Up Hero | July 23-30, 2020 |
| Tacoma | July 23-30, 2020 |
| Torchlight II | July 16-23, 2020 |
| Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition | July 9-16, 2020 |
| The Escapists 2 | July 9-16, 2020 |
| Killing Floor 2 | June 9-16, 2020 |
| Hue | July 2-9, 2020 |
| Stranger Things 3 | June 25-July 2, 2020 |
| AER Memories of Old | June 18-25, 2020 |
| Ark: Survival Evolved | June 11-18, 2020 |
| Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection | June 11-18, 2020 |
| Overcooked | June 4-11, 2020 |
| Borderlands: The Handsome Collection | May 28-June 4, 2020 |
| Civilization VI | May 21-28, 2020 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | May 14-21, 2020 |
| Death Coming | May 7-14, 2020 |
| Crashlands | April 30-May 7, 2020 |
| Amnesia: The Dark Descent | April 30-May 7, 2020 |
| For the King | April 23-30, 2020 |
| Just Cause 4 | April 16-23, 2020 |
| Wheels of Aurelia | April 16-23, 2020 |
| Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments | April 9-16, 2020 |
| Close to the Sun | April 9-16, 2020 |
| Gone Home | April 2-9, 2020 |
| Drawful 2 | April 2-9, 2020 |
| Hob | April 2-9, 2020 |
| Totally Reliable Delivery Service | April 1-8, 2020 |
| World War Z | March 26-April 2, 2020 |
| Torment x Punisher | March 26-April 2, 2020 |
| Figment | March 26-April 2, 2020 |
| Watch Dogs | March 19-26, 2020 |
| The Stanley Parable | March 19-26, 2020 |
| A Short Hike | March 12-19, 2020 |
| Mutazione | March 12-19, 2020 |
| Anodyne 2 | March 12-19, 2020 |
| Gonner | March 5-12, 2020 |
| Offworld Trading Company | March 5-12, 2020 |
| Inner Space | February 27-March 5, 2020 |
| Faeria | February 20-27, 2020 |
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | February 20-27, 2020 |
| Aztez | February 13-20, 2020 |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance | February 13-20, 2020 |
| Ticket to Ride | February 6-13, 2020 |
| Carcassonne | February 6-13, 2020 |
| Farming Simulator 19 | January 30-February 6, 2020 |
| The Bridge | January 23-30, 2020 |
| Horace | January 16-23, 2020 |
| Sundered: Eldritch Edition | January 9-16, 2020 |
| Darksiders Warmastered Edition | January 1-9, 2020 |
| Darksiders 2 Dethinitive Edition | January 1-9, 2020 |
| Steep | January 1-9, 2020 |
| Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair | December 31, 2019 |
| Hello Neighbor | December 30, 2019 |
| The Talos Principle | December 29, 2019 |
| Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun | December 28, 2019 |
| Hyper Light Drifter | December 27, 2019 |
| FTL: Faster Than Light | December 26, 2019 |
| Totally Accurate Battle Simulator | December 25, 2019 |
| Celeste | December 24, 2019 |
| Ape Out | December 23, 2019 |
| Little Inferno | December 22, 2019 |
| Superhot | December 21, 2019 |
| Towerfall Ascension | December 20, 2019 |
| Into the Breach | December 19, 2019 |
| The Wolf Among Us | December 12-19, 2019 |
| The Escapists | December 12-19, 2019 |
| Jotun: Valhalla Edition | December 6-12, 2019 |
| Rayman Legends | November 29-December 6, 2019 |
| Bad North | November 21-29, 2019 |
| The Messenger | November 14-21, 2019 |
| Ruiner | November 7-14, 2019 |
| Nuclear Throne | November 7-14, 2019 |
| Costume Quest | October 31-November 7, 2019 |
| Soma | October 31-November 7, 2019 |
| Layers of Fear | October 24-October 31, 2019 |
| Q.U.B.E.2 | October 24-October 31, 2019 |
| Alan Wake: American Nightmare | October 17-24, 2019 |
| Observer | October 17-24, 2019 |
| Surviving Mars | October 10-17, 2019 |
| Minit | October 3-10, 2019 |
| Metro 2033 Redux | September 26-October 3, 2019 |
| Everything | September 26-October 3, 2019 |
| Lego Batman Trilogy | September 19-26, 2019 |
| Batman: Arkham Collection | September 19-26, 2019 |
| Conarium | September 12-19, 2019 |
| ABZU | September 5-12, 2019 |
| The End is Nigh | September 5-12, 2019 |
| Celeste | August 29-September 5, 2019 |
| Inside | August 29-September 5, 2019 |
| Fez | August 22-29, 2019 |
| Hyper Light Drifter | August 15-22, 2019 |
| Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden | August 15-22, 2019 |
| GNOG | August 8-15, 2019 |
| For Honor | August 2-9, 2019 |
| Alan Wake | August 2-9, 2019 |
| This War of Mine | July 25-August 2, 2019 |
| Moonlighter | July 25-August 2, 2019 |
| Limbo | July 18-July 25, 2019 |
| Torchlight | July 11-18, 2019 |
| Overcooked | July 4-11, 2019 |
| Last Day of June | June 27-July 4, 2019 |
| Rebel Galaxy | June 20-27, 2019 |
| Enter the Gungeon | June 13-20, 2019 |
| Kingdom: New Lands | June 6-13, 2019 |
| City of Brass | May 30-6, 2019 |
| Rime | May 23-30, 2019 |
| Stories Untold | May 16-23, 2019 |
| World of Goo | May 2-16, 2019 |
| Transistor | April 18-May 2, 2019 |
| The Witness | April 4-18, 2019 |
| Oxenfree | March 21-April 4, 2019 |
| Slime Rancher | March 7-21, 2019 |
| Thimbleweed Park | February 21-March 7, 2019 |
| Axiom Verge | February 7-21, 2019 |
| The Jackbox Party Pack | January 24-February 7, 2019 |
| What Remains of Edith Finch | January 11-24, 2019 |
| Super Meat Boy | December 28, 2018-January 10, 2019 |
| Subnautica | December 12-27, 2018 |
The Epic Games Launcher also hosts to a variety of free-to-play games including Dauntless, SMITE, Magic The Gathering Arena, and of course, Fortnite.
Source: Epic Games
Assassin's Creed Valhalla mythical beasts gameplay and missions revealed
Ubisoft have peeled back a little more of the gameplay mysteries surrounding Assassin's Creed Valhalla, revealing some new gameplay surrounding the mythical beasts you can encounter in 9th century England.
The mythical elements include the Daughters of Lerion, the Black Shuck and the Lost Drengr of Ragnar Lodbrok. The video digs into each of these elements, exploring their origins and how you'll encounter them in the game. The Black Shuck, for example, combines all the possible meanings and interpretations to create a big black shaggy dog that is the Devil incarnate.
The Daughters of Lerion are then a bit of an East Anglian reference to Shakespeare and the legends that inspired him, and you'll deal with the Lost Drengr of Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary viking who came to England about 10 years before the game, and got up to all sorts of trouble. His mischief was put to an end, leaving behind six Drengr who were his warriors. Now without purpose, you're going to help them meet a glorious end and secure their place in the actual Valhalla.
These stories are not part of the main story, but can be found simply while exploring the world.
AC Valhalla follows Eivor as they leave Norway and seek to found a new home in England. Eivor can be either male or female and is heavily customisable. A returning element will be creating a village settlement that acts as the hub for Eivor and their fellow Vikings, which you'll be looking to grow through your time with the game, with the story centered around this element (and potential romances as well). A raven is to be Eivor's animal companion to help explore the world, replacing the eagles from previous Assassin's Creed games.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla should include these 5 fun Viking facts
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will be out on 17th November for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia. It will also release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. For the home consoles, there are free cross-gen upgrades, with one way using Smart Delivery on Xbox.
Deathground is a co-op survival game filled with hungry AI dinosaurs
A 'first playable' demo of Deathground was shown at Gamescom 2020 tonight, giving us a small teaser of the co-op survival horror that pits you and your friends against AI dinosaurs that think you look like a tasty snack.
The game is currently in development for PC by Jaw Drop Games – it can be wishlisted on Steam – the demo showing off just a snippet of what you can really expect in the eventual full release. The AI dinos are designed to be unpredictable, forcing you to work together, using Aliens-style motion trackers to keep tabs and avoid them while hacking PCs, flipping power switches and working your way through the environments.
It all feels a bit like the recent Predator: Hunting Grounds game, and all the asymmetrical multiplayer games that went before it… but without having a human player in control of the dinosaurs.
We look forward to seeing more of this particular dino crisis soon.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum gameplay details revealed in new trailer – coming out in late 2021
More details have been revealed of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Gollum game, currently in development by Daedalic. The game is coming to both current and next gen systems, so PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC in late 2021
The trailer seems to be nigh on identical to the one that slipped out a few days ago, but Project Manager Daide Haberstroh from Daedalic Entertainment provided more context with some narration.
The game is an action adventure game, but has a big focus on storytelling and immersing players in the inner conflict within Gollum. The game will feature tactical stealth, environmental puzzles, climbing and fast-paced parkour – Gollum isn't really up for a fight, so you need to be cautious and pick the correct approach.
Dialogue will play a big role in the story, as you play out the inner conflict with a mini-game that presents to you the multiple sides of the character's current thoughts and you have to decide which ones are Gollum or Smeagol. Not only that, but the options will fly around on the screen, potentially landing you in a spot of bother with an ill-timed outburst.
The game will have both familiar locations from the fantasy world, such as the Barad-Dur outskirt where war preparations are going on.
The game was announced quite some time ago, in March 2019, and it was well over a year before we saw it return in May of this year. A teaser trailer also came out in just the last few days, but now the details of the game have been fleshed out quite significantly for what we can expect of the game. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see more, but with the game not coming out until late 2021, it might be a while before Daedalic decide to break cover again.
PlayStation exclusive Quantum Error gets a new 4K gameplay trailer
A fresh gameplay trailer for Quantum Error has emerged, the horror FPS coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4
The game casts you as Captain Jacob Thomas, but you're not an army captain, you're a fire department captain, sent into the Monad Quantum Research Facility 30 miles off the shore of San Francisco, California.
Of course, quantum's gonna quantum, and as you get there, initially with the goal of saving as many lives as possible, it soon becomes clear that it's not fire you're going to be fighting. Luckily, Captain Thomas seems to be pretty good at fighting demonic cosmic horrors… while breaking his way through the world using an array of firefighter's tools.
A release date for Quantum Error is yet to be confirmed by Teamkill Media, but it's coming exclusively to PS5 and PS4.
Source: YouTube
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne fifth title update will add Fatalis
Capcom has confirmed the main content that will be arriving as part of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's fifth title update and one of the pieces is the return of a legendary monster. The dragon Fatalis leads the charge of the title update, and hunting parties will have a tough time of it considering how powerful Fatalis is. It also seems players will be travelling back to Fatalis' hunting ground of Castle Schrade, which is the only place Fatalis has been spotted so far.
Along with Fatalis the fifth title update will the Arch-Tempered Velkhana, new layered armour options, and the Fun Fright Fest. The update is expected to go live on October 1st, so you have about a month to prepare to face off against Fatalis. Since the inception of the Monster Hunter series worldwide sales have reached 61 million units. Monster Hunter: World is where Capcom finally struck gold with the game shipping over 15 million units since January 2018, and according to Capcom it is the first game in the company's history to hit that number. The expansion Monster Hunter World: Iceborne also pulled in impressive numbers with 4.1 million units shipped up until January and has no doubt sold many more since then.
Dom reviewed Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and he wrote:
You can read the full Monster Hunter World: Iceborne review here.
Source: Twitter
Quantum Error developer sets up GoFundMe, new teaser released
A brand new teaser for the horror FPS Quantum Error has been released by TeamKill Media, with this 92 second footage showing scenes from the story alongside moments of gameplay. In the footage you can see the main character shooting at monsters, watching as others run from them, and even witness one of the monsters get decapitated. Needless to say, this is not what you would call a family friendly teaser in the slightest.
It does not seems like we should expect Quantum Error soon though, even with a release target of 2021. TeamKill Media has set up a GoFundMe page with a target of $65,000 so mocap equipment can be bought, and voice actors can be hired. At the time of writing the GoFundMe has hit $1,325 from 8 donations in 23 hours. According to the GoFundMe, TeamKill Media has three installments planned for Quantum Error. The description of the fundraiser also says:
The first 50 donations of $500 or more will get you a spot as a NPC character in the game. And anyone donating $50 or more will get a copy of the game when it releases for either PS4 or PS5.
The story description is as follows:
When the Monad Quantum Research Facility – 30 miles off the shore of CA – is attacked by an unknown entity, engulfing the complex in flames and putting it into a full containment lock-down, a distress call is sent for mutual aid to the Garboa Fire Dept in San Francisco, CA. Fire Chief Sturgis answers the call and sends you – Capt. Jacob Thomas – your partner Shane Costa and a crew by helicopter to the Monad Facility. Your mission is simple: save as many lives from the burning complex as possible and get out. However, what starts as a rescue mission quickly plummets into darkness, when you arrive and find that things are not as they appear.
Quantum Error has been confirmed for PS5 and PS4.
Epic emails Fortnite players to blame Apple for Season 2 – Chapter 4 update unavailability
Epic Games have stepped up their fight in the courts of public opinion with Apple by directly emailing Fortnite players on iPhone, iPad and macOS to pin the blame on Apple for the lack of an update to Fortnite Season 2 – Chapter 4, which kicked off yesterday on most other platforms. It's the latest move in their battle with the tech giant, once again seeking to paint themselves is the most favourable light possible while their lawsuit goes through the US courts.
The email reads:
Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, the Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), did not release on iOS and macOS on August 27. […]
Apple limits competition so they can collect 30% of consumer payments made in apps like Fortnite, raising the prices you pay. Epic lowered prices through a direct payment option, but Apple is blocking Fortnite in order to prevent Epic from passing on the savings from direct payments to players. Epic has taken legal action to end Apple's anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces. Papers are available for our August 13, August 17, and August 23 filings. In retaliation for this action, Apple blocked your access to Fortnite updates and new installs on all iOS devices.
They also explain that players will be able to continue playing on the older version of the game, and direct those wanting a refund to contact Apple.
However, what this email fails to explain is that, in offering a direct payment option, Epic directly broke the terms of hosting their app on the iOS App Store. Whether they like or dislike Apple's policies, they broke the rules knowing that Apple would remove their game from the store.
That's exactly how the US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers viewed the situation when Epic sought injunctive relief to force Apple to restore the game to the App Store. Judge Rogers wrote:
Epic Games remains free to maintain its agreements with Apple in breach status as this litigation continues, but as the Seventh Circuit recognized in Second City Music, "[t]he sensible way to proceed is for [Epic to comply with the agreements and guidelines] and continue to operate while it builds a record." "Any injury that [Epic Games] incurs by following a different course is of its own choosing." Epic Games admits that the technology exists to "fix" the problem easily by deactivating the "hotfix." That Epic Games would prefer not to litigate in that context does not mean that "irreparable harm" exists.
The Court did, however, provide injunctive relief to prevent Apple from entirely cutting off Epic's developer access entirely and effectively ending support for Unreal Engine on their platforms.
At this point, the decision whether or not an update can be made is entirely in Epic's hands. The Court has determined that Epic knowingly breached an agreement they disagree with and have even acknowledged that it would be easy to revert the changes. Apple have also stated that they would be happy to restore Fortnite to the store so long as it removes the direct payment option.
However, it seems that Epic are going to stay the course, at least for a little while longer, and they are carrying out a well orchestrated PR campaign to try and get their young audience on side. This started on the day of the app's removal with the release of a poppy trailer that pastiched Apple's iconic 1984 advert, coming with the hashtag #FreeFortnite, and has now continued with emails to their players.
The next hearing will take place on 28th September, where Epic will again seek an injunction to get Fortnite back onto the App Store, but for a full trial, Epic have said they need at least four months to prepare, and Apple don't want to start for ten months. That in mind, and with the Court already having ruled that the game's availability is up to Epic, it's just a matter of how long they are going to cut themselves off from a substantial revenue source.
Meanwhile, here's what Apple's been up to:
A new era of @PUBGMOBILE is coming, featuring an overhaul of the Erangel map and a bold new look.
Check out the exclusive sneak peek here. https://t.co/ZmcDm6zKQR
— App Store (@AppStore) August 28, 2020
Source: Mac Rumours, Grady Yann
Nour: Play With Your Food is heading to PS5 and PC
There are all sorts of games out there and some of them do revolve around food, though usually it is something like Overcooked or Fruit Ninja. Sole developer TJ Hughes, who has named their studio Terrifying Jellyfish, has announced a different take on food games with Nour: Play With Your Food. This experience has been confirmed for PS5, PC, and Mac though a release date is yet to be set. You can check out the first trailer for Nour: Play With Your Food below.
There are over 20 food varieties which you can play with however you wish. Nour: Play With Your Food is an experimental title to see if the allure of what you see on screen can make you feel hungry for it in reality. In Nour: Play With Your Food all sorts of combinations can be made, so if you want to smash food together you can. If you want to create an artistic masterpiece of food that is also an option, and you will be able to share that. TJ also mentions how the game makes use of the PS5's DualSense controller.
With 20+ food vignettes, and reactive musical compositions to accompany each, this is bound to be the tastiest multi-course meal to hit next-gen. We have major plans to take advantage of the new DualSense controller's features. Imagine the satisfaction of cutting a virtual peach with a knife, the resistance being reflected by the controller's adaptive triggers increasing in tension, and the glide of the knife being modeled through the controller's haptic feedback
Panic, the publisher behind Untitled Goose Game and Firewatch, will be publishing Nour: Play With Your Food.
What We Played #465 – Wasteland 3, Project CARS 3 & Fall Guys
It's been a good week down at TSA Towers, helped by the sudden arrival of Gamescom that I had completely forgotten was going on. Despite not being able to travel for some serious gaming business in Cologne, there's been a bevy of game announcements and even more glimpses of next gen gameplay which is all shiny and new. I've been playing Madden 20 as I prepare to jump into 21 later today, as well as restarting Wind Waker HD, playing a bunch of space sims with the HOTAS Warthog after getting angry about Microsoft Flight Simulator's constant crashes, and indulging in a few nights of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles with Tef.
Tuffcub has played "laughing as Tef gets increasingly annoyed with Geoff Keighley", which is the game that keeps on getting angrier, Destiny 2, and Trover Saves the Universe "which is very sweary". Aran meanwhile has played a bit of Civ VI and that is it, saying it's "quite a boring run, so I might start a new game."
Thomas Harrison-Lord played Project CARS 3 for review in amongst rounds of Fall Guys. Project CARS 3 is "a different direction for the series and one that hasn't quite paid off." He's also playing WRC 9 for review, which will be coming pretty soon.
Gareth has played Pathfinder Kingmaker, "which seems excellent but I'm only level 4 after playing as much as possible since Sunday, as it progresses at a glacial pace. Other than that I've played some Beat Saber, naturally, and a bit of Fall Guys."
Nick P played a bit of Ghost of Tsushima, saying "I'm on the final act, or at least where things are heating up! Definitely one of my favourite games of the year." Jason on the other hand has been playing Tales of Berseria, which is "the edgiest of the Tales games. I'm quite enjoying it, though I'm not 100% if I'll stick with it to the end just because it's probably 1,000,000 hours long. I've also been playing some more Heroes of Hammerwatch, which continues to impress me with every new level I try. Finally, I'm still playing Dreamscaper, which is a roguelike with Persona elements, and also Monster Train, which might be the best of the card-battling roguelikes."
Ade is on with Darkestville Castle for review, "which is your bog standard Sam and Max alike trying waaaaaay too hard to be funny. I'm also bloody tempted by Captain Tsubasa after @Mohranner's review, so might pick that up!" I have to admit I've been similarly skirting the Buy button on Tsubasa, but can't work out which format to go for, so instead I've gone with none.
Thomas Hughes has been playing a lot of Wasteland 3 for review "which is absolutely excellent". He's also been trying to sneak in some Final Fantasy XIV between bottle feeds and work, along with some Dark Souls 2.
Steve started Wolfenstein II, saying "I had somehow managed not to know anything about it so am massively enjoying the sheet WTF of it all. They certainly embraced the camper and sillier aspects. Had some time with the execrable Street Power Football for review and loved my time spent with Hello Games' The Last Campfire. Managed a few rounds of Overcooked with the kids and a spot of Wasteland 3 coop with Thomas. Finally I cleared the demos, freebies, and prologues from my Steam catalogue. Would recommend the cute Grimm's Hollow for a lovely take on loss and the sex-horror excesses of Lust Beyond Darkness: Prologue for a very eclectic evening's entertainment.
Finally, Tef has been plugging away at Crusader Kings 3 ahead of its release next week, and got progressively more annoyed at how often Geoff Keighley was reminding people that Fall Guys: Season 2 and Ratchet & Clank would be shown off later in the stream.
Now then, what have you been playing this week?