Yearly Archives: 2019

Ion Fury Launches on Steam Today

3D Realms and 1C Entertainment take their latest game out of Steam’s Early Access today and launches Ion Fury on both Steam and GOG. Ion Fury will also hit the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Xbox One at a later date. Neo DC is overrun with crime, thanks to Dr. Jadus Heskel and his cyborg cultists. It’s up to Corporal Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, leader of the Global Defense Force to put a stop to this insanity. After Shelly’s drink is interrupted by an explosion, she sets out to take Heskel down once and for all. A cyberpunk city full of horrific creations awaits, and Shellye will use her 18-round triple-barreled revolver, Loverboy, and demolish anything in her path.

Each open level hides secrets galore, so in between reducing foes to gibs n’ gore, search for ammo, deadly new armaments, and extra armor to make the next fight just a little bit easier. Labyrinthine levels encourage exploration so keep an open eye while searching for that next keycard, and enjoy glorious pixelated goodness. Ion Fury is designed as a retro shooter, and was designed in the same Build engine that classics like Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and Shadow Warrior made famous. Ion Fury also has an updated version of Mapster32, which is a level editor, originally offered with Duke Nukem 3D.

“For the first time in over 20 years, 3D Realms is back at its roots, doing what we’re doing best. Our community has been so patient and excited for Ion Fury,” said Frederik Schreiber, VP at 3D Realms. “We are so pleased to bring Ion Fury to our fans so they can experience a fresh take on classic ‘90s destruction for themselves.”

CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling Comes to Steam This Fall

CHIKARA is a wrestling organization known for its family-friendly style and has seen some of the best wrestlers of this generation go on to success elsewhere. Today, they announced that CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling launches this fall on Steam. The gameplay is inspired by speed and quick-button action of the classic arcade wrestling games and will feature a stylized comic-book aesthetic, and a colorful cast of official CHIKARA wrestlers. This will include Razerhawk, Fire Ant, Hallowicked, Solo Darling and many more. CHIKARA: Action Arcade Wrestling has a Closed Beta coming this month, and interested parties can sign up here.

Players can also use the Wrestle Factory Creation Suite to create their own ultimate creastler, and offers a tremendous amount of tools to truly unleash their creativity. Want to make a monster? Superhero? Wrestle in classic arenas? Wrestle Factory has you covered!

“There’s a nostalgia to the fantastic special moves, quick and easy two-button controls, and outrageous gameplay from old-school wrestling games,” adds Eugene Tchoukhrov, lead programmer and producer at VICO Game studio. “There’s an audience starving for these types of games and we are delivering our version with an updated modern style and tons of customization features in CHIKARA.”

King’s Bounty II to Launch in 2020

1C Entertainment is bringing classic turn-based tactics back in 2020 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with King’s Bounty 2. Players will head to the land of Antara, and develop relationships and do battle in equal measures. Three heroes can be selected from, and each has its own unique story in this non-linear, open-world adventure.

Danger has arisen in the world, with a mysterious blight descending upon the far reaches of Antara, corrupting the land and people who reside in it. Refugees from the affected regions have begun to arrive in the kingdom of Nostria, putting food and resources in short supply. Ultimately, your actions will have consequences as conflict stretches across Antara. But will you forge a better future, or a darker one?

Features of King’s Bounty 2:

Interactive and cinematic story – Told through the lens of a highly cinematic experience, King’s Bounty 2 puts the choice in players’ hands rather than their mouths. Embracing classic RPG traditions, players are frequently faced with difficult moral choices that have far-reaching consequences for the fate of the realm. But instead of hinging on simple dialogue choices, it is the players’ actions that hold the true weight.

Landscape matters – When players enter combat, the battlefield directly reflects the specific part of the world map that they’re traversing. This forces players to consider their surroundings before entering combat, to minimize potential risks or even try to give themselves the upper hand.

No more flat arenas – Realistic, volumetric battlefields are now an integral part of combat in King’s Bounty 2. Creating maximum tactical diversity, all manner of obstacles and features can be found on the combat maps, from ravines and hills to wagons and more. Every battle now has its own unique tactical advantages and disadvantages.

New character development system – King’s Bounty 2 gives players three characters to choose from, each with their own unique story. As they explore the realm, their stories change as they align themselves with different ideals: Strength, Art, Order, and Anarchy. Not only do these choices affect how NPCs react to them, but they also have a tangible impact on the world.

Unique squads – Each squad consists of wholly unique units, each with their own set of skills and visual appearance. Instead of faceless recruits, players build armies of humans, elves, trolls, and other creatures who spend the majority of their adventure fighting side-by-side, developing lasting bonds.

Tactical depth on the battlefield – King’s Bounty 2 introduces many new tactical features to the series, such as Line of Sight, for a deeper, richer combat experience. Surprise tactical events mid-battle will also keep players on their toes.

Unique blend of realism and fantasy – Experience a vast fantasy world that expertly blends beloved genre tropes with a gritty realism to ensure players remain grounded in this desperate, realm-wide struggle.

Wargroove to Receive Physical Copies This Fall

Wargroove Physical Edition

Sold Out and Chuckfish announced today that their strategy title Wargroove will be receiving a physical release this fall, with a special Deluxe Edition. The physical Deluxe Edition will include stickers, a reversible case design, a map poster, strategy manual, and a downloadable soundtrack. It will run for 39.99 on Nintendo Switch, and 29.99 for Playstation 4.

“Wargroove is a fantastic, critically-acclaimed game which up to now has only been available as a digital download. So, we’ve put together a special physical version which fans have been asking for to be available later in 2019,” said Sarah Hoeksma, Marketing Director at Sold Out.

Shortest Trip to Earth Launches Today on Steam/GOG

Shortest Trip to Earth

Shortest Trip to Earth by Iceberg Interactive and Interactive Fate has launched on Steam and GOG today for 19.99 – and also features a special launch discount of 15%. Players will explore the universe, do battle with exotic enemies, craft items, and encounter alien cultures, all in a quest to finally get to Earth.

Shortest Trip to Earth is a roguelike spaceship simulator focused on exploration, ship management, and tactical battles. Players embark on a perilous journey across the universe, with an armed crew, nuclear missiles, and a cat.

Interactive Fate’s CEO and Lead Game Designer Edvin Aedma said:

“I am humbled to release our game after it has been critically acclaimed by press and rated as excellent by the community. After more than 5 years of continuous development, Shortest Trip to Earth is ready to meet the best space survivors of our little Earth – and of course kill them, being a rogue-like.”

Space Robinson Heads to Beta Soon

Space Robinson is in development by LUxorix Games, and being published by Alawar Premium, and will be heading into beta at the end of August. More details on that will be revealed soon. Space Robinson is a savvy space engineer, who was summoned by the intergalactic corporation named VAST, to do battle with countless waves of enemies. Players must survive in the wilderness, collect resources, build turrets, and craft ammunition.

Ragachak’s Favorite Video Game Albums: Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Black Materia - Final Fantasy VII

One of my favorite parts of my job is talking about video game music, and I figured today I would look back to one of my personal favorite video game albums, perhaps of all time. I first found Mega Ran on a track by The Megas, funny enough. It was a remix of Metal Dance (Metal Man), with Mega Ran guest-starring on the track, and it was an absolute banger. So I found myself looking up his work, found his Mega Man tracks next, then finally, Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII (with Lost Perception). Now, my favorite stuff he did was probably the WWE/Wrestling albums, but I’m such a giant fan of the wrestling business, so that won’t shock anyone that knows me. But Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII dropped back in 2011 and has a fascinating combination of tracks that feel like a loving tribute of a feeling in the game, paired with modern issues that also fit into the tone of the game. After all, the point of Final Fantasy VII is about a huge corporation destroying the planet thanks to undisguised greed, and a team of renegades out to stop them. Oh, and a Meteor, Sephiroth, and some magical stuff, I guess.

I am certainly not an authority on Hip-Hop, but I know what I like; and that’s the Wu-Tang Clan, Aesop Rock, and Mega Ran. His style and flow is second-to-none, and he has a true love of the content he develops. He’s also (as far as I’m aware) the first and only rapper that is authorized by Capcom to produce beats using their music, and frankly? That’s beautiful. So please, go listen to this on Spotify, go buy the album on his website, look at his Patreon, whatever you do. You can find more about him on his website. He’s a rapper, he’s a teacher, he’s a hero. I also want to say that Brent Black (Brentalfloss) as Don Corneo was absolute genius. It’s a brief cameo, but goodness, it was equal parts hilarious and creepy. Every song on this album is gold, but I’m going to pick a few highlights, so if you do listen, you need to hear these without a doubt. I think as far as flow, my favorite track is probably Absolute, but of course, I don’t have the time or space to cover every single track; these are just a few of my favorites.

Cosmo Canyon (Track 7): It’s sort of funny, Cosmo Canyon. Red XIII is my second-least used character (behind Cait Sith), and I honestly did not enjoy most of my time spent at Cosmo Canyon in Final Fantasy VII. However, that final scene with Red’s father turned to stone and the single tear that leaves his eye? That does it for me every. single. time. Without fail. Cosmo Canyon is also the shortest track on the album, clocking in at 1:39, but I won’t lie to you, friends. I have an emotional response every single time I listen to this song, which made writing this review much more difficult. The solid beat behind the Cosmo Canyon theme, and story of how Red XIII came to be and finding out that his father was actually a goddamn hero, who fought to the bitter end? Come on, how can you not love that kind of story? “And as I howled at the moon, he cried from petrified eyes!” come on, now. That’s gold.

Cid’s Theme (Track 13): I had to pick Cid’s theme. This is another one that always has an emotional response from me. Cid’s my favorite character in Final Fantasy VII and his story in the game strikes pretty true to me. I feel it in my bones, and Phil Harmonic captures the essence of the gritty, no-nonsense Cid Highwind. This is another pretty short track on the album, but the whole of Cid’s desperation to go to the stars is felt in the track. While I did not enjoy Cosmo Canyon, meeting Cid, returning and taking the rocket to space? One of my favorite moments in the whole game. Cid had a dream, but thanks to reasons that dream died. Well, as it turned out, the dream was only deferred, because thanks to Cloud, and the world coming to an end, his dream comes to life. The slow, steady beat of Rocket Town mixed with Phil Harmonic’s flow is absolute perfection. It’s hard to find words to describe some of these songs, but Cosmo Canyon and Cid’s theme probably hit the closest to home to me personally. It’s always fantastic to find music that you can feel in your bones.

Cry of the Planet (Track 14): Never has Cry of the Planet been more accurate. We have people in positions of overwhelming power that think our planet is not dying under our feet. This may have been dropped back in 2011, but it’s more relevant than ever. “Listen. You can hear the cries of the planet.” This is one of the songs I mentioned at the beginning, that while it does have a beat remixed from Final Fantasy VII, it does blend the despair of the source material, with current problems in the world. As it turns out, most of those problems are still here now, and we’re doing nothing to stop the cries of the planet. Cry of the Planet feels more like Mega Ran taking up the role of a teacher, trying to warn people that their actions have consequences, and while it might not be too late to save our home, it’s getting there. Just close your eyes and listen.

Tifa’s Theme (Track 3): Most of the Black Materia album deals with some pretty serious issues, the world ending, getting stronger, dealing with life-threatening destruction, but there are a pair of tracks that are, for a lack of a better term, love ballads. Tifa is Cloud’s best friend, probably his only real friend before he meets up with his squad. Mega Ran brings some genuine emotion to the tale of Cloud falling for Tifa early in his life and is probably the first love song I heard from Mega Ran. Plus, on top of that, Tifa’s theme is one of the best tracks in the damn game, and that’s not even a question. He hits all the high notes: Tifa almost dying because of foolish, young pride, Cloud gearing up to leave and be a SOLDIER, and of course, The Promise. But it leads to the modern-day when Cloud is back, and Tifa wants him to help out with some group named “Avalanche”. He’s not sure about it, but as long as the pay is good, he’s down. Mega Ran is so incredible at capturing life in his beats and lyrics, and this is the best example of it on the album.

I don’t care if you don’t listen to hip hop, go listen to this album anyway. You’ll thank me.