PCGamesN Sunday, December 15, 2024 12:52 PM  After early access success stories such as Baldur's Gate 3, it's increasingly clear that the open development process it offers can be a great way to make some truly special games. While Greedfall 2 aims to follow in those footsteps, however, its initial impressions have left a somewhat sour taste in the mouth. As developer Spiders looks to build on a launch that has been met by a 'mixed' user reception on Steam, it says that it was prepared for some parts of the game to miss the mark at release. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best RPG games, Upcoming games, Best PC games |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 15, 2024 12:45 PM  If you've been meaning to pick it up ahead of the imminent Forza Horizon 4 delisting, I hope this reaches you in time. Xbox and Playground Games are about to remove it from digital storefronts forever, meaning you'll have to buy secondhand physical copies if you suddenly decide you want to try it out down the line. If you want to take it for a drive, then, you can at least pick up multiple editions of the game at 80% off right now. I wouldn't wait around, though. |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 15, 2024 11:45 AM  After a tough launch for gorgeous fantasy survival game Nightingale, developer Inflexion Games seems to have really righted the ship. Despite studio layoffs, continued updates including the major Realms Rebuilt overhaul have brought new life to one of 2024's prettiest open-world games and restored player opinion along the way. As the year nears its close, Infexion CEO Aaryn Flynn and art director Neil Thompson reveal a final update for 2024, and there are a couple of very welcome improvements on the cards. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games on PC, Best crafting games on PC, Best fantasy games on PC |
PCGamesN Sunday, December 15, 2024 11:32 AM  What I love most about Bethesda's suite of RPGs is how they help you choose a playstyle that works best. I swing a two-handed greatsword in Skyrim and focus on sniping in Fallout, with perks and items always helping builds reflect these goals. I also love investing points and skills into sneaking, but always felt like something was missing. That's where today's new mod comes in, as it adds some extra animations to Fallout 4 to give those sneaky takedowns the extra punch they need. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fallout 4 console commands, Fallout 4 mods, Fallout 4 System Requirements |
Siliconera Sunday, December 15, 2024 12:00 PM
Fan disks for otome games are tricky things. The audience is both more limited and more picky. There are expectations that you'll perhaps learn more things about characters you already love. You hope for opportunities to romance ones who didn't get routes in the original. Basically, it's building on a foundation. Which, in turn, limits who may be interested in the title. Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam is a really well-done follow up in some ways, with a fascinating story, but I also can't help but feel that it isn't good at delivering when building on existing romances or finally romancing Sachsen.
To begin with, Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam isn't like fan disks for otome games like Virche Evermore -EpiC: Lycoris- or Radiant Tale: Fanfare. In both of those examples, you get additional epilogue stories set after the best endings of different character routes. There are also extra love interests, which in Radiant Tale: Fanfare's case involved two pretty meaty stories for supporting cast members. With this Steam Prison follow-up, you basically get two paths, and there aren't really individual, lengthy storylines for any love interest.
Cainabel Story builds off of the Grand Ending from the first game. If you're coming to Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam without having the original otome game, then good news! There's an option to go through a summary to find out what happened. Which I did, because I never actually went for that ending in the first game. I went for Adage and Eltcreed, then decided I was done. Because of that decision, our heroine Cyrus didn't form the ties you'd expect with the love interests from the original game. (You can change her name, of course.) Since the events of the Grand Ending mean many of the issues present in society previously are absent, there's no divide between people from the Heights like her or ones in the Depths. The new legislature also means people are working together and aren't limited to who they can or can't associate with. But since we didn't get to meet (and romance) people then, we now get new chances to build relationships with characters like Adage, Eltcreed, Fin, Ulrik, Yune, Jevite, and Jereme.
It's a very well written and executed story! We're getting to see people interact in different ways, which I appreciated. There's also a focus on the investigation around Cainabel, the new area discovered after going through the Depths. I still enjoy Cyrus as a heroine, and the bachelors are interesting candidates for love. The art is also still quite fantastic, and I love the design direction for characters and how this really feels like a steampunk type of period piece.
The downside is, Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam doesn't feel as much like an otome game as the original. This isn't completely unexpected. I had an idea this would happen going in, as Steam Prison was more about the story about the divide between the Heights and Depths, dealing with government and authority figures I don't agree with, and getting to see different sides of the world's society depending on who you had Cyrus pursue. In this fan disk, this is basically a single storyline with events for the love interest you like occasionally coming up at certain points. Said moments might not feel completely romantic. So it's an expected sort of progression and approach, but I will admit being a bit disappointed that there wasn't the same weight and variety with separate routes and branching storylines based on who you choose to love.
The other main draw for Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam is the new Sachsen route in A New Theory. I loved Sachsen in the original otome game. I wanted to date him. Unlike the other mode, this one follows the story from the first entry, but adjusts it so Sachsen is an option after Cyrus finds herself living in the depths. In some ways, it is exactly what I wanted! I appreciated the art and the characterization still remains great. However, it is shorter than those routes for love interests in that installment, while also feeling a bit rushed. The pacing is off, which affected my enjoyment of it and made me feel like I wasn't getting to know him as well as I did other characters like Eltcreed.
Oh, there's also Petit Prison. It's a minigame with the characters. You basically look at scenes and need to find what is different. It is fine, but I didn't feel an urge to play it more than once.
The thing about Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam is that going into it, you probably know this otome fan disk is going to be a lot like the original game. That means the romance won't be a major focus, and a narrative getting into world building and perhaps making a difference in some ways will. The characterizations are on point, and it is fun to see familiar faces again. I just wish there had been more romance to it, with more fleshed out routes for characters, especially Sachsen since this is his moment.
Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC.
The post Review: Steam Prison: Beyond the Steam Feels Like the Original Otome appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, December 15, 2024 5:27 PM An announcement trailer was also released. The post Turok: Origins Announced for PC and Consoles appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, December 15, 2024 5:07 PM A gameplay trailer for the game was also released. The post Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O Release Date Announced, Beta Test Now Live appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |