Monthly Archives: September 2018

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise Demo Now Available on Playstation 4

Fist of the North Star - Demo -image

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise arrives on October 2nd, 2018, but before that, you might want to get a feel for the explosive and ultra-violent Hokuto Shinken abilities before that time! So players interested can explore the city of Eden and its post-apocalyptic surroundings in the Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise Demo, starting today at 8 AM PDT. Two modes will be available in this demo, Battle Mode, and Adventure Mode.

  • Battle Mode: Relive the Fist of the North Star manga and experience the first major boss battle in the game against Kenshiro’s nemesis, Shin.
  • Adventure Mode: Take your first steps into the city of Eden, where the main story of Lost Paradise takes place. Try your hand at building a buggy and take it out into the wasteland to hunt down important materials and roving bands of lowlifes or test your driving skill in the relentless buggy race!

Additionally, downloading the demo will reward players with a free PS4 theme featuring the cast of Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. This theme will be available starting on the game’s release day, October 2, 2018!

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw: PAX West 2018 Impressions

By Jaime Skelton (MissyS)

As a young girl, I was a captivated spectator of my dad’s playthrough of Wing Commander: Privateer. Looking back, I can’t remember the details of what struck me about those moments, but the lingering hunger for a freelancing space odyssey has remained with me. While I’ve found tiny bits of satisfaction in games since, I’ve never really found a title that resonated with that urge to be a space outlaw – even Chris Roberts’ Star Citizen held no allure for me (before it became the monster that it is today).

After a few minutes at the Rebel Galaxy Outlaw booth at PAX West 2018, I knew this was the game I’d been waiting for.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Blast

That might not surprise fans of the original Rebel Galaxy, but I am a newcomer to the game series. In hindsight, I’m not sure how Rebel Galaxy dodged my radar. When the developers, and fans, of a game throw around names like Firefly, FreelancerSons of Anarchy, and Cowboy Bebop, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Those are big legacies to live up to, but Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is ready to fill those shoes.

If I’ve already lost you, allow me to take a step back and cover the basics. Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is an open world adventure RPG set in a fictional space. The player takes the role of Juno Markev, a lone pilot with plenty of problems. It’s up to the player to crack their knuckles (and maybe more than a few hulls) to find solutions to those problems via missions, gambling, stealing, trading, or whatever suits their whims. It’s a prequel to Rebel Galaxy, and to the joy of many, features full spaceship combat with six degrees of freedom.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Juno Bar

I met with Travis Baldree, co-founder of RGO‘s developer Double Damage Games and the game’s engineer, to get a guided demo of the newly announced title.

There are about 40 systems to visit, most of which are named after U.S. States. Each state has its own regional vibe along with its bases that host a variety of activities. You can visit the bar to interact with NPCs, including gathering rumors and local information. You can play various games and gamble ship parts or cash, like playing slot machines, dice, poker, and 8-Ball; each of these games is fully integrated as a sort of “mini-game” to participate in, ala Red Dead Redemption or Grand Theft Auto.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw 8 Ball

Spaceships are unique, each with their own unique interiors and cockpits. As mentioned earlier, flight and combat in Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is in a full six degrees of freedom like most space fighters (rather than the naval style combat in Rebel Galaxy). While third-person view is available for those that prefer it, the cockpit is where the game’s personality can be felt most, from the placement of bobbleheads on the dashboard to seeing Juno’s hands move around as she flies, fights, and throws rude gestures around. There’s even space radio to listen to, featuring about twenty one hours of music across seven different stations, plus DJs and appropriate commercials.

From what I saw, combat is about what you’d expect in a space dogfighter. It’s designed to be friendly for players who prefer an easier time in combat, including an auto-tracking feature that allows your ship to lock-on and follow a ship you’re pursuing. However it’s also complex enough to support those players who want the full experience, including the use of a HOTAS controller. You can even talk your way out of situations at times, including abandoning some of your cargo if the heat’s too much.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Cockpit

Ships are pretty customizable and come in a wide variety. I was shown a glimpse of a few, from the “garbage truck” starter ship, to a “two-seater semi” style ship, to a military ship and a sleek fighter. The PC version of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw also features a 3D-ship painting application with an impressive amount of graphics features including layers, pressure sensitivity, custom stenciling, and more. This allows you to custom paint your ship down to the pixel – and even send it off for 3D printing. The game will also support modding, so if you have a 3D rig for a ship from a popular TV or film series, well, no one’s stopping you from living out your secret fanfiction.

If you prefer a calmer lifestyle, you can even participate in a wide economy across the systems. Each time you visit a system, you will log data on the price of goods, creating an internal chart of prices that you can reference when considering where to buy and where to sell. Different systems feature different goods, too, making it rewarding to learn and master what sells best where. Great for those of you who have found yourself running merchant runs in Mount & Blade like I have.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Hauler

Like RDR or GTA, you can participate in countless numbers of side activities and missions as you’d like. You can also progress a main story line that drives you through the game. You can trade, you can mine, you can steal, you can hunt bounties, you can enslave; the choices on how you put in the work to continue your story and upgrade your ship are up to you. Some side activities even unlock additional content.

You can build your rapport with the police, earning trust and perhaps a blind-eye; or you can sully your name and be a true outlaw. You can ally yourself with one of the many factions running in the systems (designed to be like biker gangs but in space). There are also guilds that you can join to earn extra missions and favor with. A mission board is available at bases to pick from randomly generated missions, allowing you the freedom and option to complete missions for extra cash and goods. These missions can be more complicated than missions in Rebel Galaxy, including multiple stages and participation in side activities, not just trade or combat.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Base

RGO is aiming to be less grindy than its predecessor, but with more activities and game depth. While Travis couldn’t nail down a solid estimate on game completion time, he reassured me it would be at least as long as the last game if not more (considering the 21 hour soundtrack). It will also be a single-player experience, for those of you who are sold by the presence or lack of multiplayer.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is planning to release in early 2019. Find out more about the game at its official website.

 

Raid of Regions

Raid of Regions is an online third-person shooter dropping 20 players into squads of 5 to fight for their life while attempting to complete a piece of intel and escape the map. Seek out and destroy other players as well as a.i. opponents to farm up the resources necessary to survive and win the game. Available for Windows.

Features:

Airdrop: Buy progressively more powerful weaponry over the course of a match.

Supporting Equipment: Customize your loadout with items like grappling hooks, jetpacks, poison gas canisters, mines, drones, and more.

A Game of Wits: Earn vital information to reveal on the map where the all-important military intel can be collected.

Empire: Millennium Wars

Empire: Millennium Wars is a free-to-play kingdom management simulator taking place on Mars. Get a foothold on the red planet and take to gathering resources, expanding your base of operations, and deploying military units to destroy rivaling organizations. Available in the browser.

Features:

Looking Towards the Top: Be the best and take charge as the Mars Trading Federation CEO.

Science Victory: Research new and exciting technology to open up more advanced constructs and unit production.

Dog-Eat-Dog World: Protect your walls and sabotage the competition – only the most cutthroat entrepreneurs will survive.

Garden Paws

Garden Paws is a farming sim with an abundance of role-playing elements featured alongside cute graphics and a chill atmosphere. Don’t let your grandfather’s farm go to waste! Grow crops, raise animals, and return both your home and the nearby town back to it’s former glory. Available for Windows.

Features:

Sweat of the Brow: Till the Earth, sow seeds, and take pride in the fruits of your labour.

Next Level: Upgrade your tools, craft weapons, and construct additional buildings for a variety of gameplay improvements.

Treasure Hunter: Venture into dangerous dungeons where shadow-stricken creatures and rare loot await the brave.

Identity V

Identity V is a gothic-themed asymmetrical multiplayer game pitting four nigh-defenseless survivors against one powerful horror movie inspired monster. In this deadly game of cat and mouse, you band together or die alone. Available for iOS and Android.

Features:

Making the Choice: Take your pick from the varied selection of unique characters available for both the hunters and the hunted.

What Do We Say to the God of Death?: As the prey; run, hide, and use special skills to evade capture and escape through the gate.

Maybe Today: As the monster; traverse the map seeking out prey fit for capture, torture, and annihilation.