Yearly Archives: 2018

Override’s Closed Beta is Happening This Weekend

Override: Mech City Brawl will be running a Closed Beta event this weekend (August 10th through 12th, 2018), and players will be able to flatten cities inspired by real-world locations and play as a variety of gigantic, powerful characters. This includes a fish-luchador hybrid bot named “Pescado” and a humongous lizard mecha named “MetaGeckon”.  This will help the developers get a feel for the present balance of the game and let players experience the fast-paced brawler. Streaming is only permitted for the PC version, but Playstation 4 and Xbox One players can also sign up with PC players at their website.

Pre-orders are available, and the Super Charged Mega Edition features the Season Pass, which delivers 4 extra mechs and 16 new skins post-launch as well as access to 12 legendary skins normally unlocked in the Standard Edition. Override: Mech City Brawl arrives on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on December 4, 2018, for $39.99 for the Super Charged Mega Edition and $29.99 for the digital-only Standard Edition. The Super Charged Mega Edition is available in both retail stores and digitally. Not all of the features for the game will be in during the test, but below are just some of the features players can expect in the future.

  • Explosive Battles. Take control of a gigantic mech and lay waste to entire cities as you fight other massive opponents.
  • Supercharged Mechs. Pilot 12 outrageous mechs of epic, skyscraper-sized proportions, each with diverse fighting styles and unique skills.
  • Real-World Locations. Destroy 3D arenas modeled after actual cities and countries, including Tokyo, Egypt, San Francisco, and Mexico.
  • Multiple Game Modes. Challenge other players in local and online Versus & Co-Op modes and experience Override’s story in a single-player campaign.
  • Party Co-Op. Gather 2 to 4 friends to engage in party co-op where each player is responsible for one part of a towering mech!
  • The Garage. Customize your mechs in the Garage, changing their accessories and skins to create your own unique style.

Daemonical Raises the Stakes in August

Daemonical is an asymmetrical horror title from Croatian team Fearem, and will be heading to Early Access on August 15th, 2018. Daemonical will take place on a remote island with up to five players. The match starts at 4pm, which is followed up by one of the players, selected at random, undergoing a demonic transformation. Nobody will know who the demon is, not even the player who becomes one until the actual transformation occurs. It’s sure to shake up how asymmetrical horror games are played, creating tension and nervousness. The players objective is to find certain bones on ‘hot points’ on the map and place them on an altar. There will be weapons and tools with which they can defend themselves from the demonic attacks. Alternatively, they can opt to simply run and hide until morning, and the demon will be defeated at the dawn. Each strategy has pros and cons, which players will find out as they actively tackle the survival game.

The demon’s sole focus is to find the survivors/ humans and kill them, that is its primary goal. Humans will utilize a ritual cut on their left hand, that will aid the player directionally to find the missing ritual parts. Once found, the ritual bone will need to be picked up carefully, with each mistake gravely punished with a loud noise that attracts the demon. It needs to be brought back to the altar when the process repeats itself. Daemonical will be available for 14.99 on Steam and more information can be found on their Steam page.

Features:

  • Huge open landscape
  • Dense and realistic randomly generated vegetation
  • Lots of procedurally generated houses and interest points on the map
  • Procedurally generated collectible and ritual part locations
  • Each match the map is different
  • Realistic time of day, with real-time weather
  • Amazing atmospheric environment sounds
  • Beautiful settings, atmosphere, landscape & environment
  • Freedom of choice – make your own horror
  • Proximity voice chat – can be used for role-playing
  • Realistic characters, character customization
  • Party system
  • Unity 3D engine

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a fantasy role-playing game featuring beautiful cel-shaded graphics and traditional turn-based combat. As a reincarnated hero it’s your destiny to once again vanquish an encroaching evil while at the same time avoiding those who would impede your mission. Available for Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, and the Nintendo Switch.

Features:

Distant Vagabond: Some aren’t so keen on a hero of light, fearing their historic association with darkness. One influential character in particular, the king of the land, has marked you as someone to be hunted and eliminated. Escape the clutches of a madman and complete your fated quest.

Us vs. the World: Recruit unique and refreshingly charismatic companions on your grand adventure.

Onward!: Explore populated cities, quaint villages, magnificent castles, and deadly dungeons in the primary narrative in addition to checking out side quests and mini games as welcome distractions.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a 3rd-person action adventure taking place in a post-apocalyptic Hokuto no Ken universe. Beat up bad games, serve drinks in a bar, and explore Eden searching for your kidnapped fiance. Available for the PlayStation 4.

Features:

You Are Already Dead: Mash your way through hectic quick-time-events to take down waves of enemies.

She Can Wait: Enjoy leisure time playing baseball and driving high speed vehicles.

Ya Ta!: Experience the classic narratives and themes from the Fist of the North Star franchise.

Maneater

Maneater is a single-player action role-playing game placing you in control of a fledgling shark hell-bent on revenge. Survive in deadly waters and kill the human that took everything from you. Available for Windows.

Features:

Fin’ish Him: Utilize every terrifying weapon at a shark’s disposal to terrorize the local environment.

Prehistoric Killing Machine: Although unchanged for thousands of years, it’s time to go back to the genetic drawing board and evolve to new heights.

Dead-Eyed Wanderer: Explore your surroundings and live the life of a shark like never before.

Rapture Rejects

Rapture Rejects is a top-down isometric online multiplayer battle royale game based on the dark-humor comics Cyanide and Happiness. After being left behind on Earth after a cataclysmic event, you MUST murder others and seek out valuable resources just to survive. Or don’t, not like there’s anything waiting for you when everything is dead or destroyed. Available for Windows.

Features:

Last Second Weaponry: Grab a pencil sharpener gun and scrap ammo blunderbuss to protect yourself in the last of days.

Looking Fly Until I Die: Personalize your avatar – wear those socks with sandals, let your hair down! Unless you don’t have hair, then try not being bald.

Maybe I’ll Make it This Time: Team up with other players and eventually stab one of them in the back, or lead a more honest lifestyle and go on a likely short-lived solo killing rampage.

Clicker Heroes 2 Preview

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)

I share a special fascination with idle games.  There’s something satisfying about watching all of your automation in action that makes it zen-like.  I played countless hours of the original Clicker Heroes, thoroughly engrossed and entrenched in optimal setups, quick ascensions, and rapid growth of power.  That sentence may have confused some people though — idle games are meant to be set and forget, right? Playsaurus announced Clicker Heroes 2 some time ago, and has finally launched a beta version of the game.  I can tell you this much: I’ve already been robbed of hours of my time, just like the original stole from me.

Clicker Heroes 2 Screenshot

The fundamentals of Clicker Heroes 2 don’t differ much from the original.  You progress through several stages of monsters who don’t fight back, butchering them for their sweet, sweet gold.  Occasionally you’ll upgrade to gain more power so you can kill said monsters faster. There are bosses who have substantially more health than their minions that you’re a time limit to defeat.  There are even additional upgrade paths to take beyond just leveling up heroes.

However, Clicker Heroes 2 is vastly different than its predecessor, to the point where some people think it shouldn’t be called a sequel.  Gone are the multiple heroes; you only control one at a time. Gone are the hero upgrades; equipment is the only thing you level now. Gone, too, are leveling ancients for alternate progression — well, sort of.  I’ll get to that. What’s been put in place of all this are genuine RPG style stats. Upgrading your equipment grants you the choice to enhance its stats with things like increased damage, energy, mana, or my personal favorite, haste.

Clicker Heroes 2 Screenshot

Skills are also still a part of the Clicker Heroes experience, though they function far, far differently in this sequel than they did before.  Skills can take either energy or mana, and most of them have a vastly shorter cooldown than they did in the original. These skills ranged from a set number of clicks, to powering up your next clicks, to even enhancing the potency of your next skill.  Some can be turned on and will only turn off when you’re out of energy or mana. Interesting to note: clicking takes energy too, which seems mostly in place to prevent people from just auto-clicking their way through things.

Clicker Heroes 2 Screenshot

The thing that stands out the most about Clicker Heroes 2 is the skill tree.  When I say skill tree, I mean a Path of Exile style skill tree. Seriously, look at the screenshot: the thing is MASSIVE.  As you kill monsters, you gain experience. When you level up, you get a skill point to put in this skill tree. You’re locked into your first few points, but after that?  The power is yours! These points represent a permanent boost to your character, similar in fashion to a rogue-like. See, when you clear a world, you lose all of your equipment, but by investing in these skills, you come out of each world stronger than you started.  The ancients I mentioned earlier, from the original Clicker Heroes? They exist on the tree as what some would consider capstone abilities. There are yellow and blue nodes on the board that grant far more power than a regular one. Some blue nodes even vastly change certain skills.  These are the nodes you want to aim for when putting together your build.

Clicker Heroes 2 Screenshot

Another feature greatly expanded on from the original game is the automator system.  I originally stopped playing Clicker Heroes right around the time they introduced an auto-click system, so I can’t say much on how they operated there, but as you spend points in the skill tree, you’ll unlock additional setups for the automator.  Basically, you start with some basic commands like a base cooldown of four seconds and a multiclick ability. Put them together and bam! Every four seconds you’ll use the Multiclick ability. It can get much, much more complex later, though, and can be used to upgrade your equipment for you, choose upgrades to said equipment randomly, and more.  For players that truly want a hands-off experience, the automator will be right up your alley.

Clicker Heroes 2 Screenshot

There’s a lot to like about Clicker Heroes 2 in its current state.  The animations are smooth and fluid, even when you stack haste like I do (seriously, haste is so wonderful).  The end bosses for each world are massive and impressive, and in some cases ghastly and grotesque (I’m looking at you World 2!).   I’m personally enamored with the skill tree and the massive flexibility it gives me, even as people are endeavoring to optimize builds.  Some people are balking at the price tag, given the first was free; however, there is the promise of absolutely no microtransactions. So far, from the beta, there’s no need for them either.  Yes, there will be leaderboards in the future, but those will hopefully be closely monitored.

Keep in mind that if you get in the beta now, there will be a reset happening soon.  It will be the only one coming, thankfully, but it does need to be mentioned. Also, there is no cloud saving currently, mostly because of the impending data reset.  Clicker Heroes 2 has been an absolute charm for me, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing what developments come its way.

Note: A game key was provided for review purposes.

Dead by Daylight Begins Scorching Summer BBQ Event

Dead by Daylight - Summer Scorching Event

Starting today (August 7th) in Dead By Daylight, the Scorching Summer BBQ event has begun. Players who complete the challenges will unlock special customization rewards, such as Hillbilly’s “Pro-Pain” Hammer and Kate’s “Free Songbird” slip dress costume. Once you complete your own goals, you can keep playing to gain bonus bloodpoints and help your friends get their items as well. This event lasts from today until August 21st. Every trial will start with two Frozen Cocktail machines and 2 Grill hooks, and by burning BBQ Invitation Offerings, another Frozen Cocktail machine and Grill hook will appear. As a Killer, hook a Survivor on a Grill hook for the first time to gain 1 Survivor Chop and as a Survivor, complete repairs on a Frozen Cocktail machine to grant all Survivors 1 Frosty Margarita. You can only gain Frosty Margaritas and Survivor Chops in Public Matches.