Monthly Archives: January 2019

Prison Architect Is Acquired by Paradox Interactive from Introversion Software

Prison Architect - Escape Mode DLC_ Great Escape Trailer _ PS4 - YouTube

Paradox Interactive, publisher and developer of a wide assortment of strategy titles have announced that they acquired the rights and assets to Prison Architect. Prison Architect is a BAFTA award-winning management simulation, originally developed by Introversion Software. Paradox will take ownership of it, on all current/future platforms. This will allow Paradox to continue development of Prison Architect going forward, and explore opportunities in the IP for the future.

“Ever since our partnership with Introversion in 2017, the Paradox team has felt that Prison Architect is a natural fit for our catalogue,” said Ebba Ljungerud, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Just as we’ve done for other management-strategy games like Cities: Skylines and Surviving Mars, I believe the considerable player base of Prison Architect will be excited to see where we can take the game next, and we’re eager to explore development of potential new games based off of the ‘Architect’ IP. We promise to exercise good behavior with this cherished title going forward.”

“Prison Architect has been an intensely rewarding project for us,” said Mark Morris, Co-founder of Introversion Software. “Every developer loves seeing their creations come to life, but through Early Access, launch on multiple platforms and over a dozen post-launch content updates, we’ve been building and managing this building-and-management game for nearly a decade. I think we’ve taken Prison Architect just about as far as we can, and we’re all eager to see where a team like Paradox can take it next! This also gives Introversion the chance to work on what we’ve got coming up next — more on that soon.”

Cultist Simulator Reveals New Content Coming This Month

Cultist Sim Announces New Update

Cultist Simulator has announced there is a new game mode on the way, as well as new challenges and content. This hits the game on January 22nd, 2019. This will add an advanced player-versus-demigod mode, where you help a previous character ascend. This update will also be free for everyone and is entirely optional. It will unlock after beating the “normal” game. In addition, the Cultist Simulator’s 15-track OST was also announced, for 9.99. It will be available on Steam, Humble, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Bandcamp.

KEY FEATURES:

★ MAJOR VICTORIES: You achieved immortality? Well done. Now, the hard bit. Play as your own Apostle, executing a doomsday plan to make your immortal character something like a god. Pursue the path of Grail, Lantern or Forge. Assemble the Great Feast; open a door into light; or Bring the Dawn.

★ MOAR LORE: Delve even further into the rich lore of Cultist Simulator. What is the Dawnbreaker Device? Where is the flaw in the world to be found? What is the Third Mode of the Tricuspid Gate? Who are the avid, ancient, brilliant women who call themselves the Ligeians… and why are they helping you?

★ IMMORTAL ENEMIES: They’re here to prevent your greater ascension, and add challenge and replay value while they’re at it. These powerful NPCs make Detectives and Rivals look like playground bullies. See your loved ones kidnapped; your finances shredded; your affairs exposed to the public; your dreams become a battleground. Confront them in person, if you dare.

Dead or Alive Pushes Release Date Back to March 2019

KOEI Tecmo and Team NINJA announced yesterday that Dead or Alive 6 has pushed back their release date a few weeks. Originally scheduled for a February 15th, 2019 release, it will now arrive on March 1st, 2019 instead. This is due to the developers need to further enhance and balance the upcoming fighter.

“The title’s development is already near complete; however, we would like to take more time to further polish its balance, gameplay, and expressivity. In return for your patience, we commit to bringing you the best DEAD OR ALIVE gaming experience,” said Yohei Shimbori, the game’s Producer and Director. “I am truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the release delay of DEAD OR ALIVE 6.”

Last Year: The Nightmare Review

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

It’s been pretty hard to innovate in the asymmetrical survival horror genre; most of the games feel and behave the same. You join a group of characters, and your ultimate goal is to survive (RE: Not die). In most of them, simply dying once is enough to put you out, but there is an occasional, limited-time resurrect/aid to be had. Then I tried Last Year: The Nightmare, which is a first-on-Discord title. That in and of itself is interesting because Discord is really starting to grow its product into what could be a contender for Steam. That’s another thought for another day. Today we’re here to focus on killing teens!

Last Year Review 1

He’s just a nerd with a dream. “Not to die”.

In Last Year: The Nightmare, players are transported back to 1996, to control either a murderer or a member of a group of teens. You have all the tropes you could ask for: Jock, Nerd, Girl with Braces, Cool Girl, Streetwise Teen. The 80s and 90s were rife with horror films, and it’s very important to nail the aesthetic. It’s got to feel vast, but also closed in and hopeless at the same time, and for what it’s worth, Elastic Games really hit the nail on the head there. They’ve missed the ball on a few other things, but we’ll get to it in due course.

Last Year Review 3

This is what most of my lobbies looked like at the end. I respect the hustle though.

In Last Year: The Nightmare, players either Quick Join a lobby, search for a Lobby, or Host their own games. One of the things that is definitely missing from Last Year: The Nightmare are tutorials. So far, the game is very bare bones. You can join matches, host matches, and check the leaderboards. The gameplay isn’t all that difficult, but I do think it would definitely be more welcoming with tutorials. Most of what I figured out that I could do came from playing other asymmetrical games. The teens’ goal is to get out, and the killer’s goal is to murder them in horrific, awful manners. The game picks who will be the killer, but you can vote on it if that’s your preference. Each map will have its own objectives, with the ultimate goal of reaching the open escape route before time runs out. They have 15 minutes to get out, and anyone who is left behind?

Last Year Review 2

It’s killin’ time.

Well, the killer gets them. Despite only having a few maps to choose from, I will say they are pretty vast, and there are lots of items to scavenge from, and plenty of ways to approach each map. Even if there’s only one goal, there are lots of places to hide, run through, or get ambushed in. As a teenager, you have characters to play, and from there they pick a specialization. You have Assault (Bash ‘em with a lead pipe), Medic (Heal up those nerds), Scout (Detect evil killer energies and blind them), Technician (Build a turret to shoot the killers). You can only have two of these per team, so there’s tactical gameplay there, and figuring out exactly who is good at what. Honestly, the Assault felt kind of weak, and the Technician felt incredibly strong. The characters all have fun quips as they’re progressing through the maps, and it’s just as kitschy as I thought it might be. It’s all stereotypical and trope-filled, which I love.

Last year the Nightmare Review - 4

At least they give a cutscene that shows the goals of the map.

As the teens scrounge through boxes and cans, they can improve their usefulness (a stronger weapon, better shots from their turret, et cetera). Should you die, you lose these improvements, so it’s very important not to die. But if you do die, it’s not the end of the world! This is something I definitely wanted to highlight. In every other game in this genre I can think of, if you die, that’s it. But this comeback mechanic is a great idea because if you are one of the people that die all the time (and early) like me, your team can bring you back as more cannon fodder, or for a moment of brilliance that saves the day. This forces both parts of the game to stop, and think about what their next plan is: Do you save your friend, or try and get out alive on your own? Remember, if time runs out, so does your life.

Last Year the Nightmare Review - 5

When you die, and when you load in initially, you pick a class. Some feel stronger than others, in my opinion.

If you die, you get dropped in a room where the players can find you and rescue you. The killer, however, can trap these, or simply lurk in wait at them for you, then kill you. It’s important to note, even if the Killer is in his Predator Mode, he can’t leave it while he’s close to a teen; he has to get out of sight. On that gameplay note, let’s shift focus over to the Killer. They have access to (as of now) three different killers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There’s the Strangler, who pulls people with a chain and chokes them to death; the Butcher, who hacks people down Jason/Michael Myers style; and the Giant, who is a slow, rumbling behemoth who can throw people around.

Last Year the Nightmare Review - 6

This is the closest thing to a tutorial I saw.

These killers are not invulnerable, unlike other games in this genre, so that’s another fun moment. If a killer should die, you have a nice, long respawn timer, and then you can pick another killer. The ones that have already died (if you’re bad like me and have multiple killers die) will eventually revive and can be selected again. If the teens aren’t working together, they’re easy pickings. I’ve also noticed that there are some definite bugs here. I was able to hook people on the Stranglers chain through walls/around corner, missing them completely, yet still dragging them to their doom. And if I didn’t look up the keybindings, I would have had no idea what my buttons do as a killer.

Last Year the Nightmare Review - 7

The “Predator Mode” is also the “Blue Screen of Death”. Come on! That’s funny!

In addition to the killer power, they can also enter “Predator Mode”, which makes them faster, and can teleport around. They can’t attack from this form, but they can’t be harmed either. This is where you can set traps on the ground – either shock traps or bear traps to clamp down on their legs. Did you catch a teen and want to lure them in? Set traps here at their door! You can also set out props for the teens to find (EG: gas for the lift in the Gym), and set traps around them and lie in wait for the foolish teens to show up. You’ve got fifteen minutes, make them count. I recommend almost always traveling in Predator Mode, it’s much faster. Especially the Giant, who moves remarkably slow. It seems pretty fair for both sides, which is nice. The killers aren’t invulnerable, but they are still powerful and you certainly have options. I’m hoping there will be more killer options added in the future, so you can select a load out of them.

Last Year the Nightmare Review - 8

WHERE YOU GOIN’?!

You and Your Friends are Dead: 4/5

Remember when I said it was barebones? That’s a serious drawback to me. Most of these games are free-to-play and have some manner of unlockable cosmetics to pick up and work towards. All you get for winning these matches is the knowledge that you survived, and a place on the leaderboards. There’s nothing to work towards, and I can see people getting bored with that at some point. I’m not suggesting put lootboxes or anything, because as a retail game, that’s the last thing I want. I do feel like players will need something to try and earn in these matches because everyone loves a good reward. I’m glad they don’t have passive skills to upgrade, but cosmetics/some goal to work towards would make this feel far more enjoyable.

Thankfully, the actual gameplay is superb. The occasional poorly connected lobby does not in any way deter from the actual gameplay being sharp. Last Year: The Nightmare is a well-designed asymmetrical horror/survival title, that really captures the 90s aesthetic and all that came with it. The maps might be huge, but I feel alone in them, even with a team nearby. I tried to record video for this game several times, but each time it made OBS Studio freak out and wound up coming out useless. There have been people streaming it, but the video did not work for us this time. Still, this game has all of the old horror movie tropes without the killer being an impossible enemy. Make sure to find the game on Discord for $29.99.

Note: A game key was provided for review purposes.

Revolve8

Choose from a variety of zany heroes and try to defeat your enemy’s tower in SEGA’s upcoming MOBA/real time strategy game: Revolve8!

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Most likely yes, but type unknown until launch

Key Features:

Choose a Legendary Hero: Each fighter has distinct strengths and weaknesses, as well as special attacks and skills.

League Play: Claim victory and advance your league in competitive real time PvP matches.

Stack the Deck: Choose from 4 card categories – Heroes, Magic, Buildings, and Minions – to craft your 8 card deck. Form your strategy and destroy your opponent’s base!