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Last Friday I waited in line with a queue of other masked travelers to pass through the metal detectors to enter the main Quantum Department of Transportation Terminal. QDOT recently opened their multidimensional transportation hub to the Convergence — a convergence of four other worlds from different dimensions, now accessible via earth. How the convergence […]
Developer: Aicom Publisher: Vik Tokai Released: June 1990 Genre: Action Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode was an ambitious game that tried to combine many different styles of gameplay to create an all-encompassing adventure worthy of the character. It almost succeeded but buckled under lackluster controls and first person mazes that were a nightmare. […]
Fisti-Fluffs is basically what happens when you leave four bored, energetic cats alone in your home. Basically, you get lots of hissing and broken furniture. Up to four cats can come together...
We got a chance to go hands-on with the Nintendo Switch OLED, which will release on October 8. Here's how we're feeling about Nintendo's upgraded console.
In our final Metroid Dread preview, we try out the grand finale to the Metroid saga on Nintendo Switch OLED and discuss how it compares to previous games in the series.
Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the Spider-Man will have his own story and cutscenes when he makes his long-awaited appearance in Marvel's Avengers.
Bethesda has bought a PlayStation 5 for Deathloop voice actor Jason Kelley after the voice actor told fans he didn't have a copy of the game or a console to play it on.
Hey there! Are you tired from a busy week at work? Looking to take some time for yourself and just unwind? Maybe you'd like to curl up with a good book and a nice hot cup of tea. Or perhaps you're looking for a stress-free gaming experience to share with the kids. If any of […]
Hi, Xbox community! If you haven't heard of the Black Desert then now is the perfect time to dive into the fascinating world. Black Desert is Pearl Abyss' open-world action MMORPG franchise with cutting-edge visuals and skill-based combat redefining the genre. It is currently available with Xbox Game Pass, and includes free downloadable content (DLC) […]
Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King treated Zelda fans to a well-crafted homage to A Link to the Past when it launched in March 2017. While some argued it adhered a bit too close to the Super Nintendo classic, Game Informer editor Brian Shea nevertheless praised Blossom Tales in his 8/10 review as a "delightful take on a familiar style". Now it's getting a sequel.
Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince doesn't stray from the formula of the original. The retro-art and gameplay remain the same, so expect plenty of dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving across a vibrant 2D world. You still control the warrior Lily in an adventure steered by the same grandfather narrating your exploits to his grandkids, who can alter your encounters on a whim. Think The Princess Bride if you didn't play the first game. There may not be any radical differences, but the game still looks like a nostalgic good time, especially if you've been itching for a classic Zelda experience. Plus, after developer Castle Pixel had a brush with closure in 2017, it's nice to see the team firing back with a new game.
Marvel's recent "What If...?" animated series on Disney+ is fast becoming a hit in the collectibles space. Following Funko's ongoing line of Pops, Hot Toys is making 1/6th scale action figures based on the popular show.
Hot Toys is focusing intently on the "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger" episode, and will soon release three highly detailed figures from it.
First up is Captain Carter. This figure features 28-points of articulation, interchangeable dark brown hair sculptors, and a variety of hands that can be swapped out when you want Carter to look relaxed, ready for combat, or holding the shield, sword, or pistol. This sculpt stands at 29-centimeters in height. Now here's the bad news: Hot Toys won't be releasing it until the first or second quarter of 2023.
At that time, Carter can sit on your collectibles shelf next to the towering Hydra Stomper. This figure only has eight points of articulation, yet is 56-centimeters tall, and features LED lights for the eyes and arc reactor. The Hydra Stomper is sized to fit with the Steve Rogers figure. This version of rogers never received the Super-Soldier Serum.
Hot Toys is also offering a new version of Spider-Man from the fun "What If... Zombies?" episode. Spidey has 30-points of articulation, and a variety of hands for combat, gestures, web-shooting, and web-swinging. He comes with six strings of spider web in different shapes and lengths that can be attached to the web-shooters. Spidey is launching before the Captain Carter figure and will hit within the third or fourth quarter of 2022.
I remember watching that extensive Horizon Forbidden West trailer that premiered during May's Sony State of Play. There were a ton of new mechanics and equipment that made an appearance during Aloy's intense neo-San Francisco trek. The sequel to Zero Dawn looks to be a next-gen visual milestone, and Guerrilla Games' various designers – from director Ben McCaw to lead character artist Bastien Ramisse – have reiterated this goal. More importantly, Horizon Forbidden West's heroine, Aloy, is back, and she's more dynamic/life-like than ever before.
In a long-form post on the official PlayStation Blog, McCaw talked about Aloy's journey from social/cultural outcast to legendary machine hunter as well as her new role in the upcoming game:
"Born and raised as an outcast, Aloy has a unique perspective on the world," McCaw states. "She is deeply compassionate towards those who suffer, and highly driven to punish powerful oppressors. Although she has made many friends during her adventures, she still feels like an outsider, and the truth is, she has no real home. These aspects of her character will be explored in-depth as she ventures into the mysterious frontier of the Forbidden West."
McCaw also briefly mentioned that Aloy's nimbleness and elusiveness have also returned. There's also a newfound depth to Forbidden West's combat that comes with traversal tools like the "Pullcaster" and "Shieldwing" (I'm a big fan of the latter!):
"Multiple teams have invested countless hours in her every aspect: her combat moves, her animations, her gear, her hair, and her dialogue," McCaw says enthusiastically. "Not to mention Ashly Burch's inspired voice performance. All of this effort makes Aloy feel real. It also makes her a great fit for all kinds of players: those who want to fight, to explore, to engage with tribes and NPCs, or simply to just take in her presence in a beautiful world. So many people work hard to make all this possible."
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This wholistic, teamwork approach becomes even more apparent when Ramisse chimes in about the heightened details of Aloy and the world itself. Of course, the PlayStation 5's technology plays a big part in bolstering Guerrilla Games' powerful in-house engine. Still, the visual design teams continue to dedicate their resources to pushing the realism and character model quality even further. You can see that in the small gallery of Aloy's facial features above – I mean, you can literally see the peach fuzz along her cheeks and jawline!
"From an artistic point of view, Horizon Forbidden West really stands on the shoulders of a successfully established design foundation in Horizon Zero Dawn," Bastien continues. "The most noticeable differences and improvements for Aloy in terms of technology is the push of facial and body capture accuracy, allowing more realistic shapes and surface details on characters as well as the careful increase of polygon density to capture handmade and used outfits."
Horizon Forbidden West launches for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on February 18.
Are you excited about the new and improved visuals/systems in Horizon Forbidden West?
The Last of Us Day (also known as Outbreak Day) kicked off over the weekend. Like celebrations from previous years, fans of the acclaimed Naughty Dog franchise were anticipating exciting new announcements. Consequently, The Last of Us creative director/writer Neil Druckmann took to Twitter to talk about the upcoming HBO adaptation of the game(s). And, in doing so, he's given us our first on-set look at the TV show.
When I first saw them on set in full costume, I was like: "Hooooooly shit! It's Joel & Ellie! ðŸ˜!"
The @HBO adaptation of @Naughty_Dog's The Last of Us is full steam ahead!
Druckmann's tweet reads as follows: "When I first saw them on set in full costume, I was like: 'Hooooooly sh*t! It's Joel and Ellie!' The HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us is full steam ahead! Can't wait to show you more (from all of our projects!)!"
The teaser image shows Joel and Ellie looking out at the remains of a crashed plane in an open field. Joel dons his classic button-up while Ellie trades her in-game t-shirt for a red hoodie. Wait awaits them beyond their vantage point of relative safety remains to be seen, but it's safe to assume that the plane will be crawling with infected. God of War: Ragnarok writer Alanah Pearce perfectly voiced the buzz surrounding the pic in the tweet's replies, "I have never been so hyped to see the backs of two people before in my life."
In an interview earlier this year, Druckmann explained that the HBO team is more interested in staying true to the core of the game series as opposed to focusing on minor details like character apparel:
"We talked at length that season 1 of The Last of Us series is going to be the first game," Druckmann stated. "As far as the superficial things, like should a character wear the same plaid shirt or the same red shirt? They might or might not appear in it; that's way less important to us than getting the core of who these people are and the core of their journey. Things sometimes stay pretty close. It's funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium."
HBO's The Last of Us is bolstered by a star-studded cast and crew, including Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), Anna Torv (Mindhunter), Nico Parker (Dumbo), Merle Dandridge (The Last Of Us video games), and Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate). Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann are helming the show.
Are you excited to finally see Joel and Ellie's real-life counterparts?
What would happen if a budding indie company, known for vibrant 2D JRPGs, partnered with esteemed Square Enix designers? We're talking Kazushige Nojima (FFVII/Remake, FFVII), Hitoshi Sakimoto (FFXII, Vagrant Story), Hideo Minaba (FFVI, FFIX, FFXII), and Akihiko Yoshida (FFXII, Nier: Automata). You'd get Astria Ascending – a visual feast on the one hand and a smorgasbord of flavorless mechanics on the other. I spent several hours sampling the game's assortment of features and was dissatisfied with the overall experience. Developer Artisan Studios' sophomore effort (it also shipped Super Neptunia RPG in 2018) shows bouts of promise, but its stale story and gameplay left a bad taste in my mouth.
Astria Ascending mixes JRPG elements like skill trees and stat-boosting cosmetics with platforming navigation. A side-view camera suits the sparse controls; you'll move along a horizontal plane, scaling platforms with the jump button or deactivating obstacles while roaming dungeons. I expect this level of simplicity in side-scrollers, but Astria Ascending's explorable world lacks depth.
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Puzzles are insultingly easy. In the first dungeon, I activated four murals to open a gated doorway, but I didn't solve the mural order on my own merits; how could I when a nearby pillar etched with an on-the-nose riddle spelled out the answer? At the time, I couldn't know this would foreshadow much of the game's unimaginative level design and environmental storytelling. Similarly, leaping over bottomless chasms to arrive at varying points of interest got boring quickly because there are no consequences for dying outside of battle scenarios. This begs the question: why have these hazards scattered throughout the game world in the first place?
The turn-based combat amounts to rotating four party members (out of eight) as you utilize a range of physical and magic-infused attacks. This allows you to take advantage of elemental weaknesses, inflict debuffs/devastating status effects, and amass focus points (FP) to enhance the effectiveness of a selected ability. I enjoyed collecting FP and combining them with my most potent magics, but this formula ran its course after the first few battles. The Ascension Tree is where you'll spend your experience (SP) to enhance stats or acquire new skills. Each upgrade truly feels like a critical customization choice. I loved boosting my thief's evasion properties so he was more elusive, but at the same time, his accuracy and luck numbers weren't as high. Throw in four possible "jobs" (or classes/roles) with specific unlockables for each playable character, and you can create a squad that's ready for any engagement … or so I thought.
Sudden difficulty spikes are incredibly punishing and create awkward lulls in campaign progress. At one point, I came across a boss with four grunts that felt almost impossible to beat. That one boss cast "stun" and "confuse" on everyone, immobilizing and turning them against one another, healed its allies for more than double the damage I was dishing out, and even respawned its downed minions. I immediately knew that I'd have to grind to overcome this obstacle, but that required me to leave the dungeon entirely to repopulate the small number of wandering enemies. Doing this over and over again drove me up the wall.
I tended to avoid subquests because some areas weren't accessible yet, and most objectives required me to kill punishing monsters or collect miscellaneous materials for forgettable NPCs. A mini-game called J-Ster kept me preoccupied when grinding became exhausting (we all know how much I love tabletop side activities). J-Ster is vaguely similar to the Japanese strategy game Go in that you place five tokens on a board and use their power levels/positions to capture the opponent's tokens. It took a while to grasp the rules, but once I did, I was happy to sit back and take on a bevy of different challengers when the lackluster plot wore thin.
Astria Ascending explores destiny vs. fate and hate vs. love (among a bevy of other traditional JRPG motifs) which makes sense since the primary setting, Orcanon, is a continent divided. Five races – the feathered Awisi, amphibious Peyska, bestial Arktans, reptilian Zefts, and humanoid Meryo – flourish in their own realms but have trouble mingling and living within proximity to one another. Your crew of mighty misfits, the demi-gods, symbolize the best warriors/mages that each race has to offer. Blessed with immense powers, the heroes spend their brief lifetimes (three years!) preserving harmony and vanquishing "Noises," grotesque creatures that call the wilderness home.
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Astria Ascending establishes its narrative stakes and extensive lore from the get-go, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't immediately fascinated. However, the eight characters with which you embark on this Noise-slaying journey are one-dimensional archetypes. For instance, Uhlan, the flaxen, shield-bearing leader of the troupe, is a "cordial young woman who would like everyone to get along" – an apt description found in your journal because, outside of this observation, I can't recall any other details about her personality or motivations. The youthful Peyska, Eko, has some redeeming qualities; he faces constant scrutiny and is subject to tasteless jokes from his companions during the game's early hours. Beyond his role as the pitiful underdog, he (and the rest of the team) failed to live up to the Final Fantasy ensembles that inspired them.
Jarring realizations like this are commonplace and so disappointing because Astria Ascending is one of the best-looking 2D titles of the year. Meticulously hand-drawn characters and metropolises make up for the lack of interactivity and character dynamism. Additionally, the polished animations are incredible. Every stylish hair flick and mouth-covering giggle valiantly attempt to personalize/characterize the numerous fighters in your party, but there's not enough substance to keep most players hooked.
Astria Ascending launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on September 30.
If you can't stand the English voice acting – don't worry, I empathize with you – try playing with the Japanese VO. This doesn't remedy the painful dialogue, but at least the deliveries are much stronger!
Resident Evil 4 is lauded as one of the best games of all time and has been ported to more consoles than almost any other game – it's on the Switch, after all. But Capcom's not done rereleasing this perennial moneymaker; on October 21, the revolutionary survival horror game makes its way to VR.
Resident Evil 4 first debuted on the GameCube back in 2005. Capcom partnered with Oculus Studios and Armature Studio to bring Leon's journey to rescue the president's daughter from a sick cult in Europe into VR for the first time.
The above trailer is the first time we've seen the game in action since its pre-alpha showing during the Oculus Gaming Showcase in April.
In a blog post today, Oculus said, "Standing or seated, players will enjoy plenty of comfort options. Support for both teleportation and room-scale movement means you can explore the game's world your way. You'll still move by using the analog stick, but Armature has added a full upper-body rig on top of Leon's character to combine his movement with the dual-handed interactivity achieved with Touch controllers. Weapons and items have been re-engineered as physical objects, so you can pick them up and interact with them. Lastly, rather than navigating a menu to swap out weapons, you can grab them off your body."
Resident Evil 4 truly is a great game, and if you haven't experienced this title, you should find a way to make that happen. Game Informer editor Blake Hester calls it a simple comfort.
This probably won't be the last we see of Resident Evil 4, but we're interested to see how to title performs in VR when it launches exclusively on Oculus Quest 2 on October 21.
The original Actraiser was a truly seminal release. Launched alongside the Super Famicom at the close of 1990, Quintet's skilful blend of platforming action and Populous-style world-building was immediately lauded as a stone-cold classic, and it's striking that in the 30 years that have passed since, it has never been bettered. Direct sequel Actraiser 2 unwisely ditched the 'God Sim' sections, and the recent 'spiritual successor' SolSeraph tried and failed to capture the same magic. Then, out of the blue in September 2021, Square Enix shadow-dropped Actraiser Renaissance, a full remake of the original game developed not by Quintet (that studio has long since been disbanded), but by Sonic Powered, a Japanese outfit best known for its Boku wa Koukuu Kanseikan: Airport Hero series.
Actraiser Renaissance retains the unique two-genre setup of the 1990 version, with the player assuming the role of a benevolent deity who seeks to liberate the world from the evil clutches of the Dark Lord Tanzra, who has cruelly subjugated several regions via his dutiful sub-lieutenants. Each area offers two distinct gameplay styles; first, you must take the form of a warrior character – your physical embodiment on earth, essentially – and tackle a side-scrolling action section that culminates in a boss fight. When you've done this, the game switches to a top-down view of the region, where you directly control your talkative angel helper. Here, you can guide the direction in which your settlement grows while using your angel to take down respawning aerial monsters with holy arrows. The aim is to locate and tackle a second side-scrolling section and defeat Tanzra's champion for that region, bringing lasting peace and prosperity before you move onto the next location to repeat the process.
As has become something of a tradition at this point, Nintendo has shared its usual infographic showcasing all the games that were featured in last week's Nintendo Direct presentation.
If you're keen on getting these downloaded and circling all of your favourites to share on social media, get the image saved and have some fun. Lots of exciting games were included in the show, including the likes of Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Bayonetta 3, as well as all of the Nintendo Switch Online additions, of course!
UK physical chart data is now in for the week ending 25th September, revealing that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has once again screeched into first place.
The game leads a top three made up exclusively of Switch games, with Minecraft and Animal Crossing: New Horizons following close behind. Last week's number one Deathloop falls to fifth spot, while Sega's latest release, Lost Judgment, debuts in fourth.
There are few licences out there that are better suited to a video game than Hot Wheels. After all, when the whole brand revolves around collecting a wide variety of tiny cars then creating over-the-top tracks for them to race on, it's fair to say that any game that manages to capture that essence of pure fun is well on its way to becoming a success.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is the latest attempt to digitise the toy series and it's probably the best Hot Wheels game to date. That said, there's just something about it (at launch, at least) that leaves us wanting a little bit more.
Mario Party is always a good bit of fun when you have family or friends over, and while the boards themselves are often thought of as the main attraction, we all know that the minigames are really where it's at. Right?
Well, the good news is that Mario Party Superstars, set to launch on Switch on 29th October, will include a whopping 100 minigames to play that have been cherry-picked from games gone by. You might want to head to safety if you'd rather not be spoiled because we're about to share the full list for you right here.
That's right, we've finally managed to get our mitts on Metroid Dread (temporarily); Nintendo UK were kind enough to invite us down for a good old fashioned preview in their showroom so we could have a go on it using one of those swanky new Switch OLED Model consoles to boot.
Our expectations were high, but hoo lordy we were still majorly impressed. We got around 90-100 minutes of playtime before having the console metaphorically slapped from our hands as we'd done all we were allowed to do, and we loved every bleeding second of it.
Brazilian developer AQUIRIS has announced Senna Forever, a brand new expansion for Horizon Chase Turbo that'll honour legendary Brazilian racing driver, Ayrton Senna.
Launching on 20th October, the new expansion introduces an entirely new set of cars, tracks, and features inspired by Senna's career, and will even offer a new single-player career mode that lets you follow Senna's own motorsport journey.
Another rare and elusive Mythical Pokémon is set to appear for the very first time in Pokémon GO this week, and you'll want to get your hands on one while you can.
In celebration of the upcoming global release of Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, which is set to launch worldwide on Netflix on 8th October, the Rogue Monkey Pokémon Zarude will be appearing in-game. Other content inspired by the movie will also be present, including the return of Team Rocket's Jessie and James.
Footage of Bayonetta 3 is finally out in the wild, and we've got the screenshots to prove it.
Yes, as you'll probably already know, the first trailer for Bayonetta 3 was finally unveiled during last week's Nintendo Direct. Featuring just about as many terrifying monsters and sassy witches as you'd expect, the clip showed off what promises to be an ambitious new title for the series, and one that fans will no doubt be looking forward to all the more having finally seen their first glimpse.
For those of us that rather enjoy riding Palamutes named after dearly-departed canine friends and fighting awesome monsters, last week's Nintendo Direct started particularly well. It brought the reveal of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, which promises to be a significant expansion for the game next Summer.
Its timing - a few months after the game also arrives on PC - hopefully points to an Iceborne-style expansion in terms of scope (which gave fresh life to Monster Hunter: World). The good news is that we'll learn more soon, with Capcom hosting a spotlight presentation at Tokyo Game Show focused on Sunbreak.
We'll share our full thoughts on how the game stands up to the original Super Monkey Ball and its sequel (what with Banana Mania being a remake of these two titles) in our review a little closer to release, but in the meantime, the game's director Masao Shirosaki has been busy discussing some of the improvements and tweaks the team has been working on.
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut – that's the definitive edition of the award-winning RPG, compelte with more voice acting and bonus content – is finally landing on Xbox consoles on October12.
If you want the best New World weapons, you're in luck because Amazon's MMO offers a surprising degree of flexibility in weapon choices and how you wield them.
Capcom has announced that teh virtual reality version of its classic horror game, Resident Evil 4, will be arrive for Oculus Quest 2 on October 21 – just in time for Halloween.
No other platforms have been announced for the game at the time of writing, so for the time being it looks like it'll be an Oculus Quest 2 exclusive.
The game was announced during April's Resident Evil Showcase, where it was revealed that the the game has been reimagined for virtual reality by Armature, the developers behind Recore (remember that?), Capcom and Oculus.
If you want Bayonetta 3 to come to PlayStation, Xbox or PC – rather than just Nintendo Switch – PlatinumGames' executive director Hideki Kamiya wants you to let Nintendo know.
The first Bayonetta game, when it launched back in 2009, was multiplatform: arriving on PlayStation and Xbox consoles (and later coming to PC). Since then, however, Nintendo has published the series and as such both Bayonetta 2 and Bayonetta 3 have been exclusive to Nintendo platforms. Bayonetta 2 initially launched on the ill-fated Wii U, and later saw a re-release on Nintendo Switch.
That same exclusivity applies to the upcoming Bayonetta 3, too. That has upset some gamers, who would very much like to play the game on their shiny new PS5 or Xbox Series X/S consoles.
I love a bit of powersliding around a corner. You don't really see enough of that in games these days. There was a time, back before this website existed (and I expected before some of you were born) where you couldn't see a single cover-based shooter through the dense forest of arcade racers. They sprouted thicker and faster than a TV-dad's afternoon shadow, and then they just disappeared. Kazunori Yamauchi Thanos-snapped his fingers and most of them were wiped out of existence. I was sad.
So, it gives me great pleasure to report that Hot Wheels Unleashed, from Milestone, a game developer known these days for sim racers but who originally cut its teeth on a string of tremendous arcade racers, nails the powerslide. Getting it right in Hot Wheels Unleashed, watching your chosen mini car skid perpendicular to the corner's apex before straightening out like it's being driven by Jason Bourne, is a thing of real beauty. It is, on its own, reason enough to give Unleashed a try.
Top marks to Milestone for nailing this most wonderful racing game mechanic, then. But what of the rest of the experience? In truth, I'm somewhat torn over the direction the dev chose to go in, even though it makes perfect sense given the license it's working with.
If you're really into The Last of Us Part 2, and you live in Europe, why not check out an absurdly expensive bit of merch tied into the esteeemed PlayStation exclsuive?
The Last of Us Part 2 replica guitar, the one that costs over $2,000, finally made it's way on to the EU PlayStation Gear store. This 20" instrument is a replica of Ellie's in-game guitar – a Model 314ce, manufactured by Taylor (so at least you know it's good).
"Built with solid sapele back and sides and a Sitka spruce top, this model produces a balanced voice across the tonal spectrum with a rich midrange and clear treble notes," its description reads.
In celebration of The Last of Us Day, Naughty Dog offered an update on the game's mysterious multiplayer mode, even if it's one that doesn't sadly come with any new information.
In a blog post, the developer acknowledged that fans have been asking for any updates on the multiplayer mode's development, but said it won't be offering any today. The developer explained that it wants to give the team the time needed to "build out their ambitious project."
Naughty Dog also reiterated that it's officially hiring for the same multiplayer project, having recently begun openly talking about it. "We'll reveal more when it's ready!" the developer wrote.
A beta is early days, of course. But let me stick my neck out at least a little here-- based on what I've played, Halo Infinite is remarkably good.
Obviously there's a lot of time to go until release. There's the fact it's launching in a semi-compromised state, with some modes and features that fans were looking forward to pushed back to future updates. But after many, many hours playing the multiplayer beta over the course of this weekend, one thing is clear: this is the best Halo in ages.
The thing about Halo, for my money, is that the very things that made it special also made it very hard to replicate. Lord knows, people tried. Marketing departments pushed game after game as 'Halo killers', and none of them really were. In the end, the things that truly 'killed' Halo were nothing to do with making a game that did what Halo did, but better. It was the rise of Call of Duty - an arguably very different game descended from a different breed of game to Halo's arena shooter roots - and of course the passing of the torch from Halo creators Bungie to 343 Industries.
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has issued new guidelines for in-game spending. The new measures introduced last week have been brought in to make sure advertisements are more transparent for consumers.
If you've ever been confused or mislead by the massive bundles of premium currecny you get in games, or if you've been suckered in by time-limited offers, this new guidance is liable to have an effect on you.
The new guidance, which you can read in full at the link, tackles in-game practices designed to prompt players to spend more money, and the way games are advertised more generally, too.
Artisan Studio is a French and Canadian developer that specializes in 2D RPG games. The studio's first project was Super Neptunia RPG, a 2D entry in the Neptunia franchise. Now it's back with a new adventure, Astria Ascending.
On the surface, Astria Ascending intrigued me with its wonderful hand drawn artstyle. In an age where more and more games, especially Japanese RPGs are going full 3D, having a different look can help a game stand out amongst a crowd. The 2D art invokes familiarity with Vanillaware titles like Odin Sphere or Dragon's Crown. The colors are crisp and the backgrounds look sharp. Unfortunately, a captivating artstyle can't save what a sloggy experience the game is.
Astria Ascending takes place in Orcanon, where a group of eight chosen individuals called Demi-Gods protect Harmony, which is some sort of peace agreement between the different races in the game. In order to keep the pact of peace, Orcanon's races eat Harmelons, which suppress certain abilities. The Demi-Gods gain immense power and abilities to fight off antagonistic beings called the Noise, but in exchange are only given three more years to live before another group comes along and does the same thing.
The latest Steam beta brought with it an unexpected change that may upset some sections of the user base. In short, the update added a new way for the client to verify a number of core details about any given game/app.
Steam does this by matching the app ID, depot ID, manifest ID, branch name and password with the most up-to-date app info. If a mismatch is found, the client can refuse the download. While this usually would be a good thing, by requiring this verification step, Valve is effectively preventing users from downloading anything but the most recent build of games/apps.
As SteamDB's Pavel Djundik explained, this is specifically a problem for modders, speed runners and game preservationists, who often roll back to earlier versions for a variety of reasons, including reverting to more stable, pre-patch builds. It's not yet clear whether these restrictions will apply to every game, or if they're simply being added as a tool to be deployed by developers where necessary.
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The studio released the photo on social media, showing Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) from the back, as the two survey a plane crash site in a farm somewhere.
It's time to crown the best of the best competitive players in MLB The Show 21. Our final tournaments of the year give eligible players the chance to win millions of StubsTM and compete in two events for $75,000 combined in total cash prizing.
Since the launch of Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017, Aloy has lived in the hearts of our players, and her story of survival, self-discovery, and sacrifice resonated with many.
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HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED – Ultimate Stunt Edition – Xbox Series X|S (Optimized): HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED – Ultimate Stunt Edition (Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S) Product Info: Developer: Milestone Publisher: Milestone Website: HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED Twitter: @MilestoneItaly / @Hot_Wheels Affiliate commission may be earned from Microsoft if you click a link […]
It wouldn't be unfair to say that Nintendo is under an awful lot of pressure when it comes to the upcoming title Metroid Dread for Nintendo Switch. It releases alongside the Nintendo Switch (OLED) model (you can read our hands-on preview here) on the 8th of October – and Nintendo have sensibly been shouting about […]
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Hello guys! As developers we cannot help but feel attached to virtually all aspects of our games. Yet we are curious which of them are the most relevant for the players. So, I decided to ask the community what are the most important elements of a wargame for you. Please, help me out by sharing your thoughts on the subject - that would be a great help.
I will use the Strategic Mind series as an example (it is easier for me and of course it also happens to work as hidden ads, so you can start shaming me for it), but you can think of any similar game you have played (Panzer General, Panzer Corps, Order of Battle, Unity of Command - you name it). I am just trying to understand what is "the gist of it" for most players and turn it into a constructive discussion.
Below you can find the list of key aspects of the game in our view. They are presented in a randomly generated order to avoid bias. Please choose up to 8 key elements and put them by the order of significance: 1 = 8 points = most significant
2 = 7 points = very significant ... 8 = 1 point = less significant 9-17 = 0 points = not very significant.
Please, explain your reasoning if you can. You can also add your own points under the list in case we have missed anything.
Example of how your answer could be structured:
10) Both historical (75%) and alternate history (25%) operations. Because I love history but without alternate scenarios it is a bit dull.
15) Advanced naval combat system Since I enjoy naval combat, this system is really different from any other game.
3) Lots of unit classes I enjoy combined arms operations and the tactical flexibility/diversity it allows.
7) Different victory types, awards and ranks. I dislike games that do not give me a sense of achievement. I also like that the achievements are meaningful in the Strategic Mind.
4) (hi)story-driven gameplay I like that I also learn something new about history while playing, and often it is really interesting.
17) All units gain experience and can learn additional skills every time they level up
I like that my army is getting more powerful and experienced as the campaign progresses.
9) Advanced supply system - great depth with little micromanagement
I think it is something many games miss - a proper supply system.
13) All types of units can get special equipment Once again the more customization and control I have over my units - the better.
The list of features to choose from:
1) All unit models are historical and become available at historically accurate time of the campaign. Same with the enemy troops.
Example: Historically Finland had very limited military equipment and was purchasing it from different countries, so you will get to create your own mismash of historically available units: Command the Finnish Infantry and Bofors AT guns, Swedish Recon cars, captured Soviet vehicles, including BT-7, T-34, and KV tanks. Make use of pre-war British Bristol Blenheim bombers, covered by Dutch Fokker and US Buffalo fighter planes. Purchase German Pz-IV tanks, StuG assault guns, and Ju-88 bombers.
2) Between the battles you can learn Headquarters skills that allow you to get unique tactical advantages. Command points system allows the flexible balance of the number of deployed troops - the more you deploy the less active HQ skills you can use.
Example: Your artillery could fire twice per turn, or your Aircraft units could land and take off without losing movement points.
3) Lots of unit classes: Infantry, Tanks, Artillery, Anti-tank guns, Anti-aircraft guns, Assault guns, Armoured trains, Reconnaissance cars, Fighters, Tactical bombers, Strategic bombers, Submarines, Destroyers, Heavy cruisers, Battleships, and Carriers. All units have their unique skills and set of level-up abilities and equipment. Example: you can even use Armored trains (including the legendary Saviour of Karelia) or Railroad artillery installations that are rare guests in digital wargames.
4) (hi)story-driven gameplay Example: lots of primary and secondary objectives with in-game dialogue by historical figures. Completing certain objectives provides unique global bonuses or trophies.
5) Classical wargame with modern 3D graphics created with Unreal Engine 4.
Example: you can see close up shots of tanks and other units moving with real physics across uneven terrain and enjoy the realistic 3D unit models instead of the usual counters.
6) You can gain Heroes throughout the campaign and assign them to chosen units. All heroes are historical figures and allow units to get special powerful skills.
Example: The deadliest sniper in WW2 history - Simo Häyhä - will join your troops
With 542 confirmed kills, and an unconfirmed total number of 705, not only was Simo Häyhä the deadliest sniper of World War II, but perhaps the deadliest sniper of all time. His nickname "the White Death" was well-earned.
7) Different victory types, awards and ranks. You get different victory types based on your performance throughout the operations. That determines what awards you get and when you will be promoted to the next rank. Example: All awards and ranks are not just an insignia, but provide gameplay bonuses - higher ranks means more Command points, while awards also provide discounts for units and make the HQ unit stronger.
8) Cinematics - around 70 minutes in each title
Example: before and after every operation you watch a cinematics sequence with historical characters delving deeper into the events of WW2 and the historical flow.
9) Advanced supply system - great depth with little micromanagement
Example: There are different types of Infrastructure across the map. Supply points transport the supplies across the map. If you break the supply chain by damaging, capturing or cutting off (blocking with ZoC) its elements - the enemy troops will be left without supplies.
10) Both historical (75%) and alternate history (25%) operations.
Example: You can enjoy both real historical battles and explore "what if" outcomes based on real plans and were never realised, like Sea Lion, or Operation Unthinkable.
11) Improved combat system - lethal vs nonlethal damage, 4 levels of spotting, various skills and equipment, significance of terrain, LoS and ZoC, different weather conditions and nighttime.
Example: the tactical moves feel quite diverse thanks to the original Panzer General mechanics that went through a very significant rework and upgrade.
12) Advanced transportation system - ground transport (trucks and APCs), train, aircraft or ship transportation.
Example: all ground units can be assigned truck or APC they board if they have to move far - at the same time they are vulnerable while in transit. Additionally, you can board trains, ships and aircraft for large distance troops transfer and landing operations.
13) All types of units can get special equipment, allowing you to finetune your troops to better tackle the task at hand.
Example: Units can get diverse equipment such as: flamethowers, sappers squad, mortars, recoilless rifles, smoke generators, torpedoes, incendiary shells, or even dummy tanks.
14) Upgrade units to newer models to carry over crew's experience. Out of line upgrades are more expensive.
Example: Upgrading Pz IV C to Pz IV F is much cheaper than replacing it with a Tiger II.
15) Advanced naval combat system - all ships have parts such as all sorts of armament, hull, engine, flight deck, etc. with their own HP and functionality that deteriorates as they are getting damaged. Example: Ship has extra defense when its Engine part is operational. When the engine is damaged the ship loses its movement points and the extra defense it had due to mobility. Same with all types of guns etc. The maintenance team repairs the ship overtime, but you could also use the emergency repair team in case your ship is in dire straits.
16) You can play some of the enemy units as well, if you manage to capture them during the battles. Example: In Spirit of Liberty Finns can get their hands on Russian BT--7s, T-34s, KV-1s, ISU-152 and other cool stuff.
17) All units gain experience and can learn additional skills every time they level up. Example: Infantry can get a Forced march level up skill allowing it to move 2 extra Move points 3 times per operation. Artillery can learn to move 1 tile after firing to quickly change its position etc.
Looking forward to discussing the results with you.
