Crusader Kings III Launch Trailer Promotes Cunning and Strategy Needed to Survive

Crusader Kings, Crusader Kings II, Crusader Kings II: Holy Fury, Crusader Kings II: Jade Dragon, Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics Expansion, Henrik Fahraeus, Linux, Mac, Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Interactive, PC, steam, Xbox One

Crusader Kings III is out now, available for purchase through Steam here, and the launch trailer below celebrates both its accolades and the overall theme of the game: that it takes cunning and strategy to come out on top in a treacherous world:

I love that this trailer is narrated by the Queen this time around, following the pattern of the assassin narrating the first trailer and the King narrating the second. It shows the three sides of the court — the ruler, one who is loyal to you, and one who will betray you — and how those aspects are vital to understand in order to succeed in your campaign.

You can check out the final dev diary here, which delves into how they improved on both performance and AI as well as making modding easier for the community, and gameplay mechanics such as Legacies and Achievements.

According to Game Director Henrik Fåhraeus concerning the latest installment: "Crusader Kings III is a grand medieval simulator where you are free to live out any plausible ruler fantasy that we could think of — but not without challenge. Seeing its predecessor explode in popularity was very satisfying, especially considering that user friendliness was never our primary goal. Now we have a chance to address an even larger audience."

The official site also details what to expect from the latest Crusader Kings title:

  • Shape Your Dynasty: Guide unique characters through history, choosing lifestyles best suited to their personalities and your ambitions.
  • Rewrite Medieval History: Dynasties will change and adapt to changes in family and politics, and religious beliefs are more firmly under your control.
  • Build a Mighty Kingdom: Use your vassals' fear of you as a weapon or call on familial obligations to persuade reluctant relatives to submit.
  • Experience High Drama: Stranger than fiction stories leap off the screen, as characters plot against you and events push you to extremes.
  • Learn as You Go: Guided advice to help newcomers navigate a rich medieval world. In-game suggestions tip you off to paths you might not have considered.
  • The Usual Crusader Kings Fun: Keep a stubborn council in line, scheme against your overbearing uncle or marry the rich duchy…oops, I mean pious duke or duchess of your dreams.

Meanwhile, for those wanting to sharpen their skills for next year, Crusader Kings II's base game is now free to play for Steam. There's also plenty of DLC content once you run through the main campaign such as the Monks and Mystics Expansion, Jade Dragon Expansion, and the Holy Fury Expansion.

If you're a fan of board games, the Crusader Kings The Board Game was fully funded on Kickstarter just last year. Not only did Crusader Kings III launch for PC via Steam, it's also included in Xbox Game Pass for PC. Be sure to read my very own extensive preview of the game here as well and stay tuned for my full in-depth review of the title.

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Crusader Kings III Final Dev Diary Delves Into AI, Modding, Legacies, and More

Crusader Kings, Crusader Kings II, Crusader Kings II: Holy Fury, Crusader Kings II: Jade Dragon, Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics Expansion, Henrik Fahraeus, Linux, Mac, Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Interactive, PC, steam, Xbox One

Paradox Interactive released their August and final developer diary for Crusader Kings III. This one goes over several more features such as performance and AI, modding, legacies, and achievements. You can watch the full video below:

One of the biggest breakthroughs they had in improving both performance and AI was the introduction of systems versus programing individuals. This freed up more time to focus on other mechanics and significantly reduced crashes and other strange breaks. They delve further into how the AI was balanced in various ways to avoid too much player frustration.

After that they discuss how they've made the game more mod friendly to better support the community, and then on to the powerful impact that Legacies and Achievements have on your campaign.

According to Game Director Henrik Fåhraeus concerning the latest installment: "Crusader Kings III is a grand medieval simulator where you are free to live out any plausible ruler fantasy that we could think of — but not without challenge. Seeing its predecessor explode in popularity was very satisfying, especially considering that user friendliness was never our primary goal. Now we have a chance to address an even larger audience."

The official site also details what to expect from the latest Crusader Kings title:

  • Shape Your Dynasty: Guide unique characters through history, choosing lifestyles best suited to their personalities and your ambitions.
  • Rewrite Medieval History: Dynasties will change and adapt to changes in family and politics, and religious beliefs are more firmly under your control.
  • Build a Mighty Kingdom: Use your vassals' fear of you as a weapon or call on familial obligations to persuade reluctant relatives to submit.
  • Experience High Drama: Stranger than fiction stories leap off the screen, as characters plot against you and events push you to extremes.
  • Learn as You Go: Guided advice to help newcomers navigate a rich medieval world. In-game suggestions tip you off to paths you might not have considered.
  • The Usual Crusader Kings Fun: Keep a stubborn council in line, scheme against your overbearing uncle or marry the rich duchy…oops, I mean pious duke or duchess of your dreams.

Meanwhile, for those wanting to sharpen their skills for next year, Crusader Kings II's base game is now free to play for Steam. There's also plenty of DLC content once you run through the main campaign such as the Monks and Mystics Expansion, Jade Dragon Expansion, and the Holy Fury Expansion.

If you're a fan of board games, the Crusader Kings The Board Game was fully funded on Kickstarter just last year. Not only did Crusader Kings III launch for PC via Steam, it's also included in Xbox Game Pass for PC. Be sure to check out my very own extensive preview of the game here as well and stay tuned for my in-depth review of the title.

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Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory PS4 Pre-Order Bonus Gets You a Specialized Theme

After a few weeks worth of silence from Square Enix, the publisher last week released a new trailer for the forthcoming rhythm game Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory alongside the title's release date. Now, Square is letting fans on one platform know what they can get themselves for purchasing the latest entry in the series ahead of time.

Divulged on Twitter, Square Enix announced that those who pre-order Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory digitally on PS4 will be able to acquire a special theme for the platform's dashboard. The theme, which won't be available to download until MoM launches in November, features a similar backdrop to what was seen in the Kingdom Hearts III theme on PS4 along with some musical notes to match the game's genre. Small chibi-looking character models featuring Sora, Goofy, and Donald are also present on the theme, too.

While this is technically a pre-order bonus, though, Square Enix has also announced that this promotion will continue on after release, too. All purchases made of the game on the PlayStation Store prior to December 31, 2020, will net users this theme in question. So while you can definitely lock-in your pre-order right now, if you so choose, it's by no means a strict requirement in order to get the theme itself.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory might be most notably coming to PS4 given the franchise's history on the platform, but it will also be coming to Switch and Xbox One, too. The game is set to release on November 13 and will retail for the typical fare of $59.99.

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NieR Replicant Upgrade Rated In Taiwan

NieR Repilcant ver.1.22474487139… has been rated in Taiwan, which suggests we'll be hearing more about the game soon.

As spotted by Gematsu, all three versions of the title (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC) have received a rating, coming in just about five months after the current-gen upgrade was announced. NieR's rating is now the latest in a continuing trend where Taiwan's ratings board has given an inadvertent "heads up" on upcoming games. In April, the board let slip that definitive editions of Mafia II and Mafia III were on the way. Then in June, the board leaked the existence of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time a few days before Activision and developer Toys For Bob made their official announcement.

Revealed in March as part of a 10-hour long, 10th anniversary livestream for the franchise, NieR Repilcant ver.1.22474487139 (yes, that is the actual title) is an upgraded version of the 2010, Japan-only PlayStation 3 release. With NieR's big 3 in director Yoko Taro, composer Keiichi Okabe, and Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito back at the helm, development is being  handled by Toylogic, a studio that previously assisted in the development of Dragon Quest XI's Nintendo 3DS version, The Evil Within, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

PlatinumGames' Takahisa Taura, who was the senior game designer for the series' breakout hit NieR: Automata and director of the 2019 Nintendo Switch exclusive Astral Chain, is supervising Replicant's combat to see it brought more up to speed with Automata. Taura, however, isn't directly involved with the project. Concept artist Kazuma Koda also returned from NieR: Automata after working with Intelligent Systems and Nintendo on Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Replicant was one of the two versions of NieR that launched back in 2010. Exclusive to the PS3, Replicant focuses on a younger protagonist named Nier who is in search of a cure for his ill sister, Yonah. The Xbox 360, meanwhile, received a version dubbed Gestalt, which follows the same story, but on a different timeline and with an older version of Nier that changes the relationship dynamic with Yonah from brother and sister to father and daughter.

Gestalt went on to become the only version of NieR the West would receive for either current-gen platform at the time.

Replicant ver.1.22474487139 had a Western release confirmed alongside its announcement, so this will be the first time that version of the game receives a proper launch outside of Japan.

This year's online only edition of the Tokyo Game Show is coming up later in the month (Sept. 23-27), and while Square Enix doesn't currently have a spot for Replicant in its lineup, there are still a few blank spots on there that the game could fill in, along with the in-development mobile game NieR Re[in]carnation.

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The Falconeer Swoops Its Way Into Closed Beta on PC

PC, The Falconeer, Wired Productions, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, xbox series x

The Falconeer is an upcoming "open-world air combat game" from publisher Wired Productions. In the game, you play as a pilot of your very own warbird. As you take to the skies, expect intense dogfights, and a focus on exploration. The game is set to launch later this year, but you might be able to hop in early. Wired Productions is taking recruits for a new closed beta on PC. Check out the announcement trailer below.

The Falconeer looks like it will scratch that itch for players looking to engage in high-altitude dogfights. The open-air combat looks solid from the footage they've released thus far. The devs are aiming to make combat "fast, brutal, and devastating." That's music to my ears.

On top of the combat, the game boasts a big world to explore. You'll find remnants of an ancient civilization and it sounds like you can even take your warbird below the sea. They're also promising several playable campaigns to work your way through, alongside various factions to support.

Obviously, we'll have to wait to see how well the game capitalizes on everything they're promising. That said, Tomas Sala, the developer behind the game, also put out a very well-regarded Skyrim mod. So, I won't be surprised if we get another solid tale to dive into with this game.

The Falconeer doesn't yet have a firm release date. But, if you want to sign up for the closed beta, you can do so at their Discord. When it does launch, the game will come to PC and Xbox Series X.

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No Man's Sky Developer Hello Games Says its Next "Huge" Project is in Development

No Mans Sky Next

After a launch that left some players upset in some ways, Hello Games has found redemption with No Man's Sky in the years since its 2016 launch through continuous updates and newly-added content. After so much work on this title though, it seems as though the developer has slowly started to shift its focus to its next landmark title.

Speaking to Polygon, Hello Games head Sean Murray discussed what's next for the studio and said that it has begun development on its next "huge" and "ambitious" title, which he likened to No Man's Sky. In the wake of the release of NMS, Hello Games has grown to 26 people in total. Of this number, Murray says that a portion of 23 different developers have started to work on this next game, while another group continues to toil away on No Man's Sky. Meanwhile, the other three members of this number recently worked on The Last Campfire, which the studio released last week.

Even though that might seem like a pretty small group of people that are working on Hello Games' next title, it's actually pretty sizable compared to before. When No Man's Sky first began, the development team was only comprised of six people in total. The fact that nearly double that total of people is already working on the company's upcoming project seems to be promising.

As for the game itself, Murray has, for now, declined to give away any information about it. Additionally, he also expressed that he's not certain how the studio will go about showcasing it when the time comes. Previously with No Man's Sky, one of the reasons why people felt burned when the game launched was because it didn't live up to expectations of what was shown pre-release. While Murray admitted that promoting No Man's Sky so strongly was definitely beneficial for the game, he also says that he believes some opportunities weren't "super important to the overall outcome" of the title.

Considering Murray's silence about Hello Games' next project, and given the fact that the entire studio still isn't fully-concentrated on it just yet, it would seem that we're still a way out from seeing or hearing more of it. Still, considering what No Man's Sky has become over the years, it's exciting to think about what the developer could be cooking up next.

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Grab Ahaha.wav For Your PS4, Switch, With Umineko Saku in January 2021, First Print Copies Include Golden Phantasia

Umineko PS4 Switch Release Date Feature

The PS4, Switch version of Umineko Saku will be launching on January 28, 2021 in Japan. Technically, Entergram is scheduled to make that announcement tomorrow on September 3. After revealing the release date of Gerokasu, the studio said news on Umineko was coming that day,  However, the seacat is out of the bag as Amazon and Rakuten started listing the game with its release date as soon as clocks hit midnight in Japan.

First print copies of Umineko PS4, Switch, will include a DLC code for Umineko Ougon Musou Kyoku Cross (Umineko Golden Fantasia), the 2D fighting game of the series, available on Steam in English. Through this bonus, it'll be available on PS4 and Switch for the first time.

A limited edition is up for preorder too. It features a different cover artwork with all the witches: Beatrice, Eva Beatrice, Ange Beatrice, Maria, Virgilia, Lambdadelta, and Bernkastel:

Umineko PS4 cover artwork limited edition

We should learn more with the official announcement per Entergram tomorrow. It's likely a new trailer will be coming too. A lot of new screenshots from the retailer listings are included below.

Umineko Saku PS4 Switch opening

The opening song is Kasaneawase no Nekobako. Chiyomaru Shikura is the composer, Sasaki Rico the singer.

Umineko is the second entry in the When They Cry franchise by 07th Expansion and Ryukishi07. Initially, it's about the wealthy Ushiromiya family stuck on its private island during a typhoon, with mysterious and gruesome murders happening. The protagonist, Battler Ushiromiya, meets a witch named Beatrice, who claims she's the culprit and killed everyone using magic. Battler doesn't believe in magic, so Beatrice puts him in a timeloop, where the murders keep happening differently, with Battler trying to explain them with rational tricks in heated debate battles.

That's the initial story pitch. However, Umineko evolves into a masterpiece as it goes on, with ton of well-written characters, stories, and elements I won't be spoiling. It also includes maybe the best soundtrack ever since Streets of Rage 2. The series was first released on PC at the Comiket events between August 2007 and December 2010, spanning 8 games, 8 Episodes in total. All of Umineko is available in English on Steam, but without voice-acting.

The PS4, Switch version of Umineko is officially titled: Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku: Nekobako to Musou no Koukyoukyoku (Umineko When They Cry Symphony of Catbox and Dreams). It's based on the PS3 ports of the series by Alchemist, reusing its voice acting and assets, and also includes the new elements from Umineko Saku released in October 2019 on PC. These will be voiced for the first time. We'll get to see new character Peace in HD.

All of this might sound complicated, but I'm sure you already knew all that anyway if you clicked on this article in the first place and read this far.

The brand new entry in the When They Cry series, Ciconia, debuted in October 2019. The first Ciconia game is available on Steam. Ciconia is scheduled to be four games in total, and the second one should release sometime in late 2020.

Last but not least, Higurashi, the first When They Cry series, is getting a new RPG and anime series.

We'll update this story when Entergram makes its official announcement.

Umineko PS4 Switch screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch Golden Phantasia screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch Golden Phantasia screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch Golden Phantasia screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch Golden Phantasia screenshots Umineko PS4 Switch screenshots 18

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Online Activation Rumor Supposedly Debunked

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

This is the week that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 launches, and while we're only a few days away, a rumor came to light noting that the game may require online activation "despite all content being on disc." However, this has been apparently debunked and seems to not be the case.

Niche Gamer covered the rumor which stemmed from a YouTuber called Lance McDonald who said in a Tweet, "I'm hearing from a few sources," that the upcoming skateboarding title "requires online activation, despite being a offline game with the entirety of the game present on the game disc." A DM to the site at the start of this paragraph saw McDonald clarify that he saw the message "REQUIRES CONTENT DOWNLOAD." on box art that was available to view "through Australian online retailers".

Andy Robinson, VGC's Editor In Chief took to Twitter to clarify that he has been told differently from Activision and that the rumor is not true. However, there's no confirmation on a source outside of saying the studio told him. According to Andy, his understanding is that there will be a day one patch, but the game will be available to play without it. He brings up the message on the box in a reply to someone, "I was told it was caution on Activision's part."

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 is to launch this Friday for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A brand new launch trailer has been released as well as the official soundtrack for the game being revealed not too long ago. While a Switch version hasn't been confirmed, there have been Switch controller layouts reportedly discovered in the demo game files.

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Rocket League Drops PS+ and Nintendo Switch Online Requirement Alongside Free-To-Play Changes

Rocket League

In advance of Rocket League moving to a free-to-play model, the team at Psyonix is slowly rolling out news about the change. Previously, they shared updates to challenges, and now the team is back with a few other tidbits. The big news is that you'll no longer need PS+ or Nintendo Switch Online to hop online and play with friends. However, that is far from the only thing the team brought to the table today.

Rocket League forgoing the need for PS4 and Nintendo's online service is, undoubtedly, big news for players. Curiously, Xbox One users don't appear to be getting the same treatment. Until something else comes out, you can expect to still need Xbox Live Gold if you want to play online on Microsoft's system.

Outside of that change, the team is working to streamline the various ongoing events in the game. This means each Rocket Pass will now simply an extension of a season. Everything will now have a uniform start and end date, which should alleviate confusion.

The free-to-play update is also bringing a brand new rank for competitive players to aim for: Supersonic Legend. This comes with its own set of rewards and titles. They're also working to improve the new player experience in anticipation of more players hopping in for the first time.

On top of all this, the team is adding some handy new quick chat options. Plus, the popular Heatseeker mode will be available in private matches. And, of course, there are several other small updates you can check out on the game's website.

Rocket League players can expect to see the next update drop sometime in mid-September with the free-to-play update coming soon after. The game is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. However, if you don't have it already, you might as well wait for it to go free-to-play and save yourself some money.

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Fall Guys is Adding a Giant Spinning Hammer Named Big Yeetus

Fall Guys

It's easy to get burnt out on Fall Guys. Yeah, it's a fun, fast-paced goofy game, but it's hard to ignore the fact that you're replaying the same five or six levels every ten minutes. Lucky for players, Mediatonic, the game's developers, are good listeners. After hearing the pleas for something new, they've decided on what can make a real impact on Fall Guys: a giant spinning hammer.

Big Yeetus is its name, busting your bean boy's butt is its game. According to the ever spectacular Fall Guys Twitter account, this new obstacle will be completely random. It can appear any place in a level at any time. Hopefully, that also means in any level. A massive spinning hammer on Roll Out? Perfection.

While the Fall Guys twitter calls sharing Big Yeetus' existence a leak, there's something else you may not notice. The clip attached in the tweet below shows Big Yeetus on Dizzy Heights. Everything looks normal, you know, minus the giant spinning hammer. That is, until you notice what's rolling down the stage. Usually, they're giant rubber balls, but for some reason, the three cannons that shoot them out are gone. Instead, there's just one massive cannon, spitting out giant watermelons and berries.

This could be the beginning of level variance in Fall Guys. Why stop at adding a random giant hammer to levels when the obstacles themselves can be switched up?

The addition of Big Yeetus isn't the only change coming to the game. It'll also be getting a host of new features, including custom servers, colorblind mode, accessibility changes and more. It's not clear when these additions will debut, although they could align with the arrival of Fall Guys' second season, which currently has no release date.

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