Yearly Archives: 2018

Industry Icons Koji Igarashi, Warren Spector and Paul Neurath Reveal New Game Sneak Peeks at SXSW Gaming

This past weekend t SXSW, 505 Games brought Koji Igarashi (Castlevania), along with Warren Spector (Ultima Underworld), and Paul Neurath (Thief) to show off some sneak peeks and reveals of some of their new projects. Koji Igarashi ‘IGA’ (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) joined Marvel Comic’s Rise of Black Panther and iO9 senior writer Evan Narcisse for an exclusive discussion surrounding Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. On this panel, IGA shared insight into his experiences developing and creating one of the most buzzed-about fan-funded games of all time, and discussed his return to the ‘Metroidvania’ genre of games he helped shape, define and re-imagine throughout his robust career.

On Friday, March 16, video game masterminds Warren Spector and Paul Neurath joined PC Gamer Editor-in-Chief Evan Lahti for an exclusive discussion exploring OtherSide Entertainment’s upcoming player-authored immersive sim RPG Underworld Ascendant. Taking players back into The Stygian Abyss, Underworld Ascendant is designed to maximize and reward player choice in a breathtaking fantasy realm, rife with danger and full of intrigue. During the discussion, Warren and Paul unveiled new art for the game, alongside character reveals and exclusive game screenshots highlighting the robust fantasy realm coming to Steam for PC in 2018.

Get Kooky with Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition

What’s better than a Chocobo? A googly-eyed silly Chocobo, that’s what! Twitch Prime members can receive a new way to traverse Eos in Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition. Prime Members can redeem the Kooky Bundle, which will grant players the adorable purple Chocobo and 10,000 gil for their journey. This is one of but many rewards and bonuses that await Prime members who own Final Fantasy XV that will be rolled out over the coming months. More information can be found here. It’s available now until April 21st and players can acquire it one of two ways:

1. Registering to become a Twitch Prime member:

  • Visit twitchprime.com and sign up for a free 30 day trial.
  • Launch FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION and click on “Special Gift from Twitch Prime” in the main menu.
  • Log-in and link their Twitch Account.
  • Click the Crown Icon on Twitch.tv and click “Claim Offer” on the FINAL FANTASY XV Loot.
  • Restart the game to collect the special gift.

2. By Players Linking Their Existing Twitch Prime member account:

  • Launch FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION and click on “Special Gift from Twitch Prime” in the main menu.
  • Log-in and link their Twitch Account.
  • Click the Crown Icon on Twitch.tv and click “Claim Offer” on the FINAL FANTASY XV Loot.
  • Restart the game to collect the special gift.

Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition Unveils Release Date

Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition is an FPS from Streum On Studio set in the Warhammer 40k Universe, and it’s coming to Playstation 4 and PC on May 22, 2018. Players will take command of a member of the Deathwings – the feared 1st Company of the secretive Dark Angels and engage in a desperate battle against Genestealers within the confines of a Space Hulk. Grow more powerful, gain skills and abilities, and master incredible weapons as you and up to four players wander a massive Space Hulk. All aspects of Class Customization are earned entirely in-game, with no microtransactions. Several of the above features have already been made freely available on PC, as part of the game’s ongoing support.

  • Class Customization – deep progression system lets players unlock armor and weapon skins, attachments, perks and more for aesthetic and gameplay customization.
  • Chaplain Class – the Chaplain brings a host of abilities to increase the squad’s survivability, and is more than capable of killing hordes of Xenos in melee combat.
  • New Weapons – more melee and ranged weapons give players even more options to load out their squad in battle.
  • New Enemy Types – new, unique Genestealer types offer greater challenge to those who dare enter the depths of the Space Hulk.
  • Special Missions – randomized objectives and enemy spawns bring a new level of replayability.

Nintendo Switch News – 3/19/18 – 3/23/18

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Lode Runner

Hey everyone! The news was kind of on slow the side last week, so we didn’t publish a Nintendo Switch news piece. That’s okay though, we have quite a few things to mention this week! There was one thing that came out on Friday of last week I want to point out, in Kirby Star Allies, but far and large, this was a pretty good week for the Switch. Nintendo constantly blows me away with picks for the Switch, taking that obvious turn from the “family-friendly” only approach that most of their last consoles embraced so warmly. Darkest Dungeon, for example, is coming out next week, which I did not expect. This week’s bag of games is a mixed one, from horrific gore and violence to cute adorable . . . whatever Kirby is. What is Kirby anyway? A marshmallow? A cloud? Has that ever been made clear? Though I don’t have a date for it, I do have a “coming soon” I’d like to highlight as well. Maybe I’ll do that each news piece if I can, highlight something on the way. We’re also going to include the “Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase” for Spring 2018 from Nintendo. There’s a lot of wonderful indie titles on the Switch and coming to it, so you can check some of that out at the end.

Coming Soon: Lode Runner Legacy (Date Unknown): The first Lode Runner game dropped in 1983 and that was the start of a truly challenging, engaging puzzle game franchise. The next game in the series comes out this spring, and you once again take the role of the Runner and are working to regain stolen gold from the enemies in the labyrinth of the Evil Empire. This game also debuts a new Two-Player Mode, where you can a friend can play offline using two Joy-Cons. Cooperation is key, and if you are greedy, you won’t move on. Two-Player mode also has online ranking, so be the perfect team to climb the leaderboards. The other major highlight of this game is Craft Mode, which will let players create original levels, characters, and items that they can share online for others to challenge. This is one of the only Switch games with user-generated content, so it’s sure to be a hit.

Kirby Star Allies (3/16): Kirby’s back! Not a weird puzzle game, or golf, or racing, none of that nonsense. This is a straight up, multiplayer Kirby side-scrolling adventure. While it does not have online multiplayer, it does feature in-house up to four players and hit enemies with hearts to recruit them to your side. It’s bright, colorful, adorable, and everything you expect a Kirby game to be. Completing worlds will open the Dream Palace, which lets you bring characters like Meta Knight and King Dedede (my personal favorite) to your squad, which will surely be a hit. All it seems to need is online multiplayer. (59.99)

Attack on Titan 2 (3/20): Now this one was a shock to me. Attack on Titan 2 is gorgeous and challenging, but incredibly violent and bloody (though I do believe you can tone that down in the settings). In AoT2, you can create your own custom Scout to do battle with the horrific, skinless, angry Titans. This allows players to see the story of Attack on Titan in a whole new way, and really invest themselves in the battle for survival that is AoT. Our very own Outfoxed also recently reviewed the game, and you can see what he thought of it right here, for anyone who does not know what to expect out of this title.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (3/20): Another 3DS/Wii-U title hit the Switch this week, and this one’s a doozy. The Shantae games are challenging and visually appealing, and Shantae has lost her magic and has no choice but to team up with her nemesis, the pirate Risky Boots to save Sequin Land from a horrific curse. Pirate Shantae has new weapons and new techniques to defeat her enemies, but the biggest question is “Can she trust Risky Boots?” Players go beyond Sequin Land onto several islands and equip awesome pirate-themed gear, from hats, boots, a flintlock pistol – and of course, a cannon. You can upgrade her hair and other weapons to unlock advanced moves. As always, there are tons of secrets, rare items and multiple endings to unlock. The Shantae series has always been a fun adventure and this one’s no exception. (19.99, eShop)

Guns, Gore, and Cannoli 2 Review

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Guns Gore and Cannoli 2 Review - Loading

This is a great visual on what to expect.

I had no idea what the original game Guns, Gore, and Cannoli was when I reviewed this game, though I did some research to keep up. It was a franchise that, up until this month, I had no idea existed. But when I learned that not only do you pick one of four characters that wield a variety of insane guns, but you also shoot Nazis and Nazi Zombies, I was immediately sold. Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is a sequel to the game of the same name, and the main character, the anti-hero Vinnie Cannoli, has been captured by a rival family 16 years after the original story took place. Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is a side-scrolling shoot ’em up with online/local multiplayer where you pick one of four characters (though that’s only garnish; doesn’t rightly matter who you pick) and explore challenging, but lovingly crafted stages with puzzles, guns, and lots of violence. I did notice that no matter who you pick for the single-player story, you still only see Vinnie Cannoli in the cutscenes.

Guns Gore and Cannoli 2 Review - Take Cover

If you’re caught in the light, you’re toast. Hide in the pipe.

The flow of gameplay is pretty simple: You pick your character, enter the stage, and blast through incredible amounts of soldiers, zombies, Nazis, mafioso, and anything else that happens to get in your way. You have a melee attack that has unlimited uses (a baseball bat) and a gun. Your pistol also seems to have infinite ammo, but you can pick up a second to dual-wield (which will have a limited supply of ammo). Instead of ammo packs, you’ll pick up more guns, from the Contra-esque spread of the Shotgun, a Tommy gun, or even a flamethrower with a ridiculous amount of spread/coverage on the screen. There are stage hazards that are tied off that you can shoot with your guns to murder foes that are just out of reach, or to open up new places to explore. Several of these are required, but it is not always clear that you have a hazard to trigger. A prime example is stage 2, when you run into a dead-end and Mafioso are popping out of windows to shoot you. You have to stand near the wall of the building and kill them till a car is triggered and plows into the building, letting you through. Frustration would quickly pass, as I resumed my murder spree.

Guns Gore and Cannoli 2 Review - Blaze It

You have to put out this fire!

However, while these stages are mostly linear (with hazards requiring a little extra exploring), it does reward you with secrets and hidden weapons. I found one of my favorites early in the game, and while it had limited ammo, the destructive capacity was not to be trifled with: An RPG. Rocket Propelled Grenades to fire at whatever happens to be in front of me? Oh yes, that was a blast. I do wish there was more variety in your weapons though. They could have gone further than they did in the first game, and offered some really ridiculous stuff, but opted not to. That’s does lead me to the major drawback for fans of the first game: It’s really going to feel like more of the same because it is. The stage layouts, while gorgeous and clever, aren’t really that different from the first game, which is unfortunate. You have the same guns, the character you pick doesn’t really matter, and there are only one or two new enemies added to the game.

Guns Gore and Cannoli 2 Review - Zombie Rush

There’s never a stop to the killing.

I tried both sets of controls (keyboard/mouse and controller) and for once, I preferred the keyboard and mouse. Aiming with the mouse and firing felt far better than the default controls for a PS4 controller. I tried several times but simply could not get the hang of it. It was easy to swap guns, and other than the tactical roll, everything else just felt right. There were some spots that I felt overwhelmed in and thought to myself that it might be easier to play this in a multiplayer setting, so my next goal was to find at least one online game. That’s where this all fell apart for me. I spent a week, logging in at different times, desperately searching for an online match, only to come up empty-handed. If there were more people playing, I would likely get more replay value out of this. It’s a bit on the short side, but the action and fun are definitely there.

Guns Gore and Cannoli 2 Review - Electric Boogaloo

It’s more of the same, but it’s still a hoot.

Vinnie Cannoli 2: Electric Boogaloo: 4/5

Despite that it does seem to be a re-hash of the original game but zoomed out to offer a greater look at the stages, Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is still a lot of fun. I had a blast figuring out where to go and what to do while obliterating everything with my guns. It has a lot of charm and the ability to play local and online co-op is a plus. Who doesn’t want to shoot Nazis anyway? Not anyone I know. I was just hoping for something more, but for the price tag, it seems about right. If you were a fan of the original, I can see you falling in love all over again with the sequel. The art-style is fantastic, but the music and the one-liners really start to get old after a while. I found myself turning down the volume, turning up some “Witchfinder General”, and massacring my foes with a hail of bullets and fire. That made it feel just fine. Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 does what it sets out to do quite well, and that’s to provide a fun side-scroller with guns, violence, and a multitude of things to aim that violence at. It reminded me of Metal Slug and Contra in all the best ways. I was hoping for more variety though. The stages are far better designed in this sequel though, offering far more than simply running to the right and shooting. If you’re looking to spend some time blowing stuff up, setting zombies on fire, and crack wise all the while, this is exactly what you need. Guns, Gore, and Cannoli 2 has the Sauce.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wins ‘Game of the Year’ at GDC 2018

TLoZ: BotW Game Profile Banner

In a decision that could not have surprised anyone, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was honored with the price for Game of the Year at GDC 2018. The groundbreaking open-world RPG also received awards for Best Audio and Best Design. An archive of the Independent Games Festival Awards can be viewed at this Twitch link. The Game Developers Choice Awards honor the very best games of the year and was created for and voted on by developers. Winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only group comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Double Fine and LucasArts developer Time Shafer, whose career spans almost three decades of adventure games across platforms and generations. Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Brutal Legend, Psychonauts 2 and Broken Age are just a few of the titles he worked on.

“Every year sees countless amazing games worthy of recognition, but this year, in particular, has seen some of the strongest titles to arrive this generation. The GDCAs give us an opportunity to reflect on and honor the games that provided us with endless joy,” said Katie Stern, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild helped us rediscover a childlike sense of adventure and discovery. Titles like Gorogoa and What Remains of Edith Finch offered us distinct creative visions that can only be experienced in games, and games like Cuphead and Horizon Zero Dawn crafted worlds we could lose ourselves in. Congratulations to all of tonight’s nominees and winners and thank you for your creativity and dedication.”

The Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:

Best Audio:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Best Debut:

Studio MDHR (Cuphead)

Best Design:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Best Mobile Game:

Gorogoa (Jason Roberts/Buried Signal)

Innovation Award:

Gorogoa (Jason Roberts/Buried Signal)

Best Narrative:

What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow)

Best Technology:

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)

Best Visual Art:

Cuphead (Studio MDHR)

Best VR/AR Game:

SUPERHOT VR (The SUPERHOT Team)

Audience Award:

NieR:Automata (PlatinumGames)

Game of the Year:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Ambassador Award:

Rami Ismail

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Tim Schafer

 

FoxTail Early Access Preview

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed)

The FoxTail FAQ is rhyming on Steam
They seem like an interesting team
But limericks are best
So let’s put this to test
The owls are not what they seem …

I grew up with the classic point-and-click adventure titles.  I remember sitting in Computer class playing text based adventures first, which paved the way to picking up titles such as King’s Quest and The Black Cauldron.  Some consider the genre a product of a bygone era, but personally, I believe there’s still a place for them even in today’s market. So when we were granted a copy of FoxTail, by Gingertips Game Studio, I couldn’t wait to give it a go.  Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious, I happen to love foxes too, so this was a combination that made me very happy to see. The current release of the game is but one of eight planned, but with that much content lined up, is the game worth checking out if you’re a fan of what’s often a challenging genre to get correct?

FoxTail Preview Screenshot

Burrowing Options

Some travels are really unfun
Pixel perfect clicking a ton
But here you have ways
To customize plays
So your sanity isn’t undone …

It’s not hard to notice the colorful graphics of FoxTail.  Despite the pixels, the vibrant use of bold colors really makes each screen stand out.  You play the role of Leah, a fox visiting her grandmother, and learn there’s much more going on than anticipated.  You’re then sent on a whimsical adventure, far exceeding what Leah expected out of a simple vacation. One of the things I absolutely appreciate about FoxTail in this case is its options; you can adjust difficulty levels manually, or use some of the preset options.  You can change the behavior of your cursor, how it responds when you’ve an object in hand, and even the ability to toggle being able to see interactable objects on each screen. Allowing a player to customize their experience in a point-and-click adventure game is genius, to me.  It really allows a person to tailor their gameplay to how they prefer.

FoxTail Preview Screenshot

The Pursuit of Objects

Things you need, you’ll certainly find
Though some things aren’t needed in kind
Just remember the trick
Grab each item and click
On everything if you’re in a bind …

Unlike some early King’s Quest games, FoxTail makes sense.  Sure, there are some moments and puzzles that made me scratch my head, but at least the majority aren’t terribly hard to figure out.  Be prepared to do a lot of walking back and forth, however, as that’s one aspect of adventure games that has not changed in FoxTail. Sure, you can access shortcuts later on (well, one, that I know of), but a lot of the game is spent going through the same screens repeatedly, which may turn some away from the game.  At least there’s some interactivity on a lot of them — you can click on the frogs on one screen to hear them let out a croak, for instance — and as I’ve stated prior, the pixel work is top notch and gorgeous.

There are also plenty of items to collect throughout the game, and, shockingly, some of them in this initial chapter are simply macguffins.  We don’t know whether they’ll play a role in future parts of the game, but I actually liked having a bunch of items I had no clue what purpose they held.  Some can even just be used by Leah outright (mostly food items) to give a little more panic to the gamer that thinks, “Oh no, I needed that for something later!”  Fret not, anything that’s “consumable” seems to be able to be acquired again.

FoxTail Preview Screenshot

Spinning A Yarn

The scope of the story seems local
There’s very few characters vocal
But the ones you do meet
You’re in for a treat
For these character really are focal …

While only the first part of the story, I can already seem some great narrative forming.  Leah receives her grandfather’s journal early in the game, and it tells a story of how adventurous the man truly was.  However, there are several missing pages from this journal, which allude to greater mystery as to why Leah’s grandparents ended up in such a small hamlet.  Though the episode ends with a ‘To Be Continued’, it’s already left an impression. There’s also plenty of lore surrounding the world tucked away in a couple of other books you’ll read along Leah’s adventure — which, of course, are also used later in a tricky puzzle!  The attention to seemingly small details like this definitely have me wanting to experience more of FoxTail’s future episodes.

FoxTail Preview Screenshot

Conclusion

FoxTail is a very charming game, though it’s also quite short currently.  In fact, I’d experienced the first part in under two hours total. The art style is solid, colorful, and beautiful, the animations well done.  Seeing Leah let out a sigh when she realizes she has more work to do, for example, is played out well. While I certainly enjoyed the time I spent, people looking for more gameplay may want to wait until further in the development cycle to pick the game up.  I’m looking forward to seeing where Leah’s adventures take her next.

So now this preview’s concluded
More FoxTail is certain alluded
What travels we’ll see
Will just have to be
On hold ‘til next part is distributed …

Note: A game key was provided for preview purposes. Learn more about FoxTail here!

FoxTail Early Access Screenshots

ARMA 3 DLC ‘Laws of War’ Raises $176,667 for Charity

Bohemia Interactive donated half of their 2017 net revenue from the ARMA 3 ‘Laws of War’ DLC to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as promised last August. That amount was 177,667 USD (Approximately 143,543 EUR or 126,016 GBP). Furthermore, the Laws of War DLC implemented a free Showcase scenario on the topic of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). This singleplayer scenario, which is presented as a virtual reality training course hosted by IDAP, aims to provide all Arma 3 players with the opportunity to become more familiar with the DLC’s complex and serious theme.

With over two billion gamers worldwide, video games have an incredible potential to convey the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL). The collaboration between Bohemia interactive and the ICRC has been extraordinary and we have learned a lot from each other by exchanging ideas and our respective expertise on how to incorporate IHL into a video game. The success of the Arma 3 Laws of War DLC has shown us that video games are one of the many ways to reach new audiences and call attention to the fact that wars do have limits and rules. We are also very grateful that Bohemia Interactive will donate $176,667 to the ICRC, which shows their commitment to support our work, to help people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence in over eighty countries.” said Helen Durham, Director for International Law and Policy at the ICRC.