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Behaviour Digital announces that Shattered Bloodline is now available
on Steam, offering a new expansion for
Dead by
Daylight, their Windows asymmetrical horror game. Word is: "Shattered
Bloodline is a brand-new Chapter for Dead by Daylight, which includes a new Map.
Purchasing the Shattered Bloodline DLC will unlock its new Killer, new Survivor,
and an exclusive item for the new survivor." They
also announce that the game can be played for free all week, and that it is
on sale along with its DLC for those who enjoy their sample. Here's a refresher
on the game: Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer (4vs1) horror game where
one player takes on the role of the savage Killer, and the other four players
play as Survivors, trying to escape the Killer and avoid being caught, tortured
and killed.
Survivors play in third-person and have the advantage of better situational
awareness. The Killer plays in first-person and is more focused on their prey.
The Survivors' goal in each encounter is to escape the Killing Ground without
getting caught by the Killer - something that sounds easier than it is,
especially when the environment changes every time you play.
The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is now available for Windows, offering inXile
Entertainment's new installment in this classic RPG series.
The Bard's Tale IV Website points to
Steam as where to pick up your choice of the four different editions of the
game, but they are all also available on
GOG.com. In an interesting marketing twist,
Brian Fargo
tweets about a sales milestone that would prompt him to try and purchase
Interplay back from whomever owns the remnants of the once proud company (thanks
VG247). In response to a follow-up question,
he tweets
about the IPs this would involve: "Tons. Dragon Wars, Earthworm Jim, Sacrifice,
Kingpin..." Here's the
Bard's Tale IV launch trailer, and here's more on the game: A return
to the series’ roots, The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep takes players back to the
fantastical realm of Caith for a classic, single-player, first-person
role-playing adventure rich in exploration, devious puzzles, and challenging
combat. Recruit and level up a party of six renegade heroes and rise up against
the dark powers that have corrupted the realm. Dive deep into dangerous,
maze-like dungeons, solve challenging riddles and quests, and defeat magical
beasts, creatures, and more in dynamic phase-based battles.
The vibrant, interactive world of The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep is powered by
Unreal Engine 4 and 3D photogrammetry, designed to capture the atmosphere and
detail of Scottish architecture and geography. Players will discover an engaging
storyline from acclaimed writer Nathan Long (Wasteland 2), as well as a stirring
Celtic soundtrack from Ged Grimes (Simple Minds) and some of the world’s top
Gaelic folk singers and musicians.
Players will also receive a free in-game version of the iconic torch from Red
Hook Studios’ Darkest Dungeon for reaching over 100K wishlisters as part of The
Bard’s Tale IV Wishlist Initiative, which rewarded players for wishlisting the
game on either Steam, GOG.com or Humble.
Continue here to read the full story.
Refract Studios announces the official release of Distance out of Early Access,
saying this survival racing platformer is ready to go the whole entire way to
the end of the line (too bad there isn't a snappier way to put that).
They announce to Early Access players that the game's leaderboards are being
cleared for the occasion.
This post covers the release, and offers
this launch trailer.
Word is: "Distance was our first project outside the safety net of academia and
I think it's safe to say that for most of us at Refract it was an incredible
(and intense) learning experience. While we did our best to stay true to what we
outlined in our Kickstarter, this project has continually evolved due to our
skills improving, our tastes expanding, and our players' continually fantastic
feedback." Here's more on what to expect: Distance is an atmospheric
racing platformer. Fusing futuristic arcade racing with parkour, survive a
deadly, mysterious, neon-drenched city by jumping, rotating, and flying.
The roads are treacherous with obstacles around every corner. Instead of
doing laps on a loop, survive to the end in the quickest time. Your car has
abilities that not only allow you to drive on the track, but upside down and on
buildings and walls! You can also fly to discover new shortcuts and paths. Take
on the roads alone, or in multiplayer with your friends!
The game is a spiritual successor to the multi-award winning Nitronic Rush,
created by ourselves and 5 others at DigiPen Institute of Technology. It was
widely praised for its innovative mechanics, visual style, audio design, and
atmosphere.
Key Features
- Adventure: A short single player experience. Drive
into the heart of a dark, mysterious city as you pursue an ominous threat.
- Arcade: Race ghosts to take on the leaderboards'
best. Earn medals to unlock new tracks in several different modes.
- Multiplayer: Online (up to 12 players) and
split-screen (2-4 players) play in modes such as Sprint, Reverse Tag, Stunt,
etc.
- Trackmogrify: Random track generation with
advanced seed modifiers.
- VR: Full VR integration with support for Oculus
Rift CV1 and HTC Vive.
- Level editor: Use a powerful level editor to
create levels from within the game and share them with players around the
world. Over 2,500 levels have already been shared on Steam Workshop!
- Original soundtrack: New music from the composer
behind award-winning games like Nitronic Rush, Solace, and The Fourth Wall.
Listen to a preview
here.
Continue here to read the full story.
Ubisoft announces a few new tidbits about Ghost Recon Wildlands, their tactical
shooter sequel. A new update is now available with some quality of life
improvements and some season two changes to go along with two new versions, a
Year 2 Gold Edition and an Ultimate Edition. To go along with all this, they
announce a free weekend will get underway on Thursday, offering a
new trailer to
accompany their pitch: Today, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost
Recon® Wildlands will be offering a free weekend on PlayStation®4 computer
entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X
and Windows PC from September 20–23. During the free weekend, players will have
full access to the base game’s content, along with Ghost War PvP and themed
special PvE missions.* Those interested in purchasing the game after the free
weekend will have their choice of two new editions, the Year 2 Gold Edition and
the Ultimate Edition, both available starting today for $79.99 and $119.99,
respectively.
In addition to the main game, the Ultimate Edition will include:
- The Year 1 season pass, which includes the two
major expansions: Narco Road and Fallen Ghosts.
- The Year 2 Pass, which grants one-week early
access to all six Year 2 Ghost War PvP classes and special equipment packs.
- Additional exclusive perks including special
weapons and attachments, 4 Battle Crates, 1 Skill Point Pack, 1 Resource
Pack and 1 Long XP Booster.
The Year 2 Gold Edition will include the main game and the Year 2 Pass.
Starting today and until October 2, various editions, including the new Year 2
Gold and Ultimate Editions, will be discounted up to 60% off. Select Ghost Recon
Wildlands merchandise will also be up to 75% off in the Ubisoft online store.
In addition to these new editions and the upcoming free weekend, Tom Clancy’s
Ghost Recon Wildlands will also be releasing today, Title Update 16. Named
Operations & Maintenance, TU16 will improve the overall quality of life of the
game and include an update to the Year 2 Pass, offering a new item pack for Year
2 Pass owners with each future title update. This free update will also
introduce a new Mood Matchmaking feature, which will allow players to further
customize their co-op experience with “mood” preferences and options in public
matchmaking for PvE in both the main game and Ghost Mode, helping players find
and join other Ghosts ready to take on the same objectives.
Continue here to read the full story.
Publisher Zodiac Interactive and developer NEXT Studio announce Iris.Fall, a
puzzle game coming to
Steam in November. This reveal trailer
shows the game's distinctive, mostly monochromatic art-style, which is part of
its central "light and shadow" gameplay concept. The announcement explains
further:
Zodiac Interactive, an up-and-coming Chinese video game independent publisher
and award winning developer NEXT studio, announced today that the dark fairy
tale adventure puzzle game Iris.Fall will be landing on Steam in November 2018.
In Iris.Fall, players are challenged with solving clever puzzles and uncover an
intriguing story full of mystery and wonder. With "light and shadow" as a core
concept, Iris.Fall takes players on a monochrome journey unlike any other.
After awakening from a dream, Iris follows a black cat into a dilapidated
theater, traveling back and forth through a strange labyrinth of light and
shadow. As the story unfolds, Iris begins to realize that everything in this
theater seems to have some kind of hidden connection to herself.
Get a feel for Iris.Fall's dark and atmospheric vibe in the reveal trailer below
featuring a sample of the intricate shadow puzzling gameplay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-BsXhpTxms
Iris.Fall is developed by NEXT Studio, creator of the multi-award winning
puzzler Death Coming and published by Zodiac Interactive. The game will be
released on Steam for PC in late 2018.
Continue here to read the full story.
NVIDIA offers this trailer
showing Metro Exodus running with GeForce RTX real-time ray tracing (thanks
Sean). The clip shows off
global illumination effects. Here's the description: 4A Games are
bringing real-time Ray Tracing to Metro Exodus!
At NVIDIA’s Gaming Celebration event in Cologne, it was revealed how 4A Games
would use NVIDIA RTX to deliver true Global Illumination – in this extended tech
demo, Ben Archard from 4A Games explains how it all works.
Continue here to read the full story.
Fishing Sim World is now available, and you can hook a copy of the Windows
edition
through Steam. The game's
launch trailer shows
off fast boats, dark nights, and large fish as well as licensed equipment for
those who would never bother with bootleg bobbers. Here's the fish story, which
will doubtless be bigger the next time we tell it: Developed by a team full of passionate anglers, Fishing Sim World captures
every aspect of this thrilling hobby in astonishing detail. With realistic game
physics, accurate fish AI and fully licensed equipment featuring hundreds of
rods, reels and lures, nothing has been overlooked as you journey from angling
beginner to pro.
Made for anglers by anglers, you can travel across beautiful lakes around the
U.S. and Europe on your own or take on your friends in four-player multiplayer.
Competitive anglers can compare catches on real-time leaderboards, or enter live
tournaments in ‘The Dovetail Fishing League,’ where players can compete with
rivals across the world in individual events for the glory of being crowned
‘Angler of the Month.’
You’re not restricted to fishing from land either – get out onto the water
with your boat and activate your sonar to find the perfect spot to fish.
Whatever approach you choose, you’ll have to improve your skills, upgrade your
equipment and learn each venue in your quest to master multiple disciplines and
eighteen species of fish, each with their own AI and behavioural patterns.
Whether you’re a beginner picking up a fishing rod for the first time or a
veteran looking to put your real-life angling skills to the test, Fishing Sim
World has something for everyone.
Continue here to read the full story.
Job listings from 343 Games spotted by
GameSpot confirm that Halo Infinite is coming to PCs, and fills in
some further details on the shooter sequel, since 343 and Microsoft have been
playing it pretty close to the vest with their shooter sequel. A
listing for a Senior Software Development Engineer seeks "a talented,
passionate, and effective Senior Software Development Engineer to drive
implementation of our PC client anti-cheat and security features for Halo
Infinite," so the game is obviously coming to PCs. There's also
Online Experience Design Director position listed which indicates they are
looking to maximize Halo Infinite's social interactivity and microtransactions:
343 Industries is looking for an experienced Online Experience Design
Director to lead and join our Halo team. This is an exciting and rare
opportunity to impact the future of one of the industry's most successful
franchises through your creative and leadership skills.
The OE Design Director will be part of the core team that defines and drives the
design vision of the game while being a source of inspiration and leadership for
the entire team. The ideal candidate possesses boundless imagination, a deep
understanding of the game development process, the ability to ideate, combined
with the skills to communicate and direct the design efforts of the team. The
ideal candidate must have a great passion for games with social features, a
desire to build a strong community, as well as a deep understanding of various
business models found in both mobile and AAA games.
You will oversee and provide vision for multiple facets of design and its
implementation. This includes: Progression in- and out-of-game;
microtransactions and integration of our business plan throughout the game; and,
finally, social and engagement features that encourage players to return again
and again with their friends.
CD PROJEKT RED announces an October 23rd launch date for both Thronebreaker: The
Witcher Tales and GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. This is time we're seeing the
title Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales listed, as this project was previously
known as GWENT: Thronebreaker, so they seem to have realized that The Witcher
is the more recognizable brand here. There's still love for GWENT though,
as they announce the virtual card game based on The Witcher will emerge from
beta on that same date. Here is
a hyper-caffeinated GWENT
release date video, and here are the details: CD PROJEKT RED, creators of The Witcher series of games, announce launch
dates for Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales — a brand new adventure set in the
world of The Witcher — as well as GWENT: The Witcher Card Game.
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Thronebreaker is a single player role-playing game set in the world of The
Witcher that combines narrative-driven exploration with unique puzzles and card
battle mechanics. Crafted by the developers responsible for some of the most
iconic moments in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the game spins a truly regal tale of
Meve, a war-veteran queen of two Northern Realms — Lyria and Rivia. Facing an
imminent Nilfgaardian invasion, Meve is forced to once again enter the warpath,
and set out on a dark journey of destruction and revenge.
Throughout the adventure, players will explore new and never-before-seen
parts of The Witcher world, embark on thought-provoking quests featuring rich,
multidimensional characters. All while gathering resources to expand their army
and engaging in epic story battles powered by the skill-based battle system
known from GWENT: The Witcher Card Game.
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales will release on PC via GOG.com on October
23rd, with a console release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 set for December 4th.
Details regarding the pricing of Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales will be
released in the future.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game
Following the release of Homecoming — the biggest update in the game’s
history — GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is coming out of beta and launching on PC
on October 23rd via GOG.com, and December 4th on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Announced back in April, Homecoming introduces significant changes to GWENT:
The Witcher Card Game, fleshing out elements which made the original Gwent from
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt a community favorite. The update also incorporates
gamer feedback developers have been receiving throughout the game’s Public Beta.
Among others, Homecoming includes a complete rework of the game’s board into
a fully three-dimensional battlefield featuring two distinct rows, a redesign of
the game’s visuals now in sync with the dark and gritty feel of the world of The
Witcher, a new deck building experience, as well as new card mechanics.
Watch the latest developer video.
Continue here to read the full story.
Silver Dollar Games announces they are going to give everyone another chance
to give their opponents the finger with the upcoming release of One Finger
Death Punch 2. This sequel to what they call "the world's fastest brawler"
is coming to Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in spring of
2019. We have a first look at what to expect in
this trailer showing
off gameplay featuring stick figures who ironically have no fingers. Here's
word: Are you ready to face impossible odds? Today, Silver Dollar Games officially
announced One Finger Death Punch 2 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo
Switch. One Finger Death Punch 2 (OFDP2) is a faithful follow-up to 2013’s
original cult favorite indie PC brawler and promises to deliver double the
punching with the exact same number of fingers. The hotly-anticipated kung fu
fighter is expected to be released in spring 2019.
You are surrounded and outnumbered and have to use any weapon you can get
your hands on to dismantle your opponents in a flurry of kung fu. That is the
essence of OFDP2, which purports to be the world’s fastest kung fu brawler, and
features the original OFDP’s unique two-button mechanics. Speed and precision
are key in this whirlwind fighting frenzy, as players maintain control over the
26 different unlockable skills, frenetic gameplay, and classic kung fu-inspired
animations.
“We wanted to show that a fighting game can be complex without cumbersome button
combinations,” said Silver Dollar Games’ Jon Flook. “Simple design doesn’t mean
a simple game. Once players complete the tutorial levels and learn the basics,
they’ll see that this is the most intense two-button game ever made.”
If they hope to succeed, players must seamlessly switch between weapons
without pausing in the frenetic action. With 700 different animations available,
literally anything is possible—particularly when players unlock each of the 26
available skills. “Having these skills available simultaneously is a major
design challenge that encompasses the core of what OFDP2 is trying to achieve,”
said Flook. “Seeing the game with all 26 skills is a spectacle unique to OFDP2.
This evolution is like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and only those
who make it to the endgame will see this beautiful transition.”
Watch the trailer for One Finger Death Punch 2 now:
Continue here to read the full story.
Convoy Games announces they are offering the chance to go into the void with
the Early Access release of Landinar: Into the Void
on
Steam, offering what they describe as an action-packed space adventure.
Here's a release trailer
with a look, and they provide all the details on the game and their Early Access
plans in this announcement: From the developers of Convoy, Landinar: Into
the Void is an action-packed space adventure in a backwater quadrant under tight
control of the empire.
As player you take control of a captain down on your luck, with more enemies
than friends and a knack for getting into trouble. After an unfortunate run-in
with the law, the time has come to make a change. Get into your ship and fly out
into space to take on contracts, fight enemies and collect new tech to design
and build your own spaceship.
In Landinar: Into the Void you create your own adventure. You decide what to do,
who to talk to, who to fight and how big (or small) your space ship is going to
be!
Landinar: Into the Void is currently in development and will release on Steam
September 18th 2018.
So, why Early Access?
We've spent the last 3 years working hard on Landinar: Into the Void. We are
almost ready to release a sandbox mode in early access, where you can explore
the universe, take on quests, find tech and build your own ship. It's time for
us to involve players in these final steps and listen to their feedback and
criticism. During early access we have planned several large content updates.
For the final release we are aiming for an engaging story mode campaign with
(branching) main and side missions and several other features:
- A complete story mode campaign in which you help
the rebellion liberate the quadrant.
- More sectors, stations, NPCs, quests and other
content.
- Additional ships, enemy types, mini bosses and
other challenges.
- More weapons, abilities and ways to interact with
the world.
Continue here to read the full story.
A new study on video games says that playing video games does have a negative
impact on students' grades, but call these detriments "negligible."
Fatherly has details on the research, which is the final word on the topic
until it's inevitably contradicted by another study. Here's word: More than
two-thirds of American adolescents report playing computer games in some
form, and a bulk of
research has focused on how this might contribute to
negative outcomes like violence and aggression. The studies that have examined
educational outcomes have yielded mixed results — some showed that gaming
hurts
school performance, and yet others showed that gaming had
positive effects.
Still, these studies were limited because they did not look at how gaming
affected children over time.
To do this, Gnambs and his colleagues followed 3,554 adolescents for two
years, tracking their gaming habits and grades, and testing their core
competencies in reading and math as well as their reasoning abilities.
Researchers found that intensive computer gaming did have a negative impact on
grades, especially when kids spend multiple hours playing them on school days.
But even when children played for up to eight hours a day, the effects on
academic achievement were only slight. Likewise, the amount of gaming did not
seem to change children’s core competencies at all.
“We found only very small effects on grades and none on actual competencies,”
Gnambs says. “I was also not surprised to find rather negligible effects of the
time spent on computer games on grades or competence development.”
- AMD Athlon 200GE $55 Zen CPU on
TechSpot.
- Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone on
Play3r.
- Deepcool Baronkase Liquid Cooling Case on
Nikk Tech.
- HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB 32GB 2933 MHz RAM on
Guru3D.
- MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC AMD AM4 Mainboard on
Overclocked
Inside. German.
- Sennheiser HD 660 S Headphones on
TechPowerUp.
- Team Group T-Force Vulcan Gaming SODIMM 4x 8 GB DDR4-2666 RAM on
TechPowerUp.
- Toshiba OCZ RC100 240GB Solid State Drive on
ThinkComputers.org.
I'm usually around a year off on the Oscars since I catch most movies on TV, but
I'm actually reasonably up-to-date on the
Emmy Awards, since I catch most of my TV on TV too. There are too many great
shows these days to honor them all properly, but I'm particularly pleased that
many personal favorites of mine were winners, in particular, Claire Foy, Thandie
Newton, Merritt Wever, Peter Dinklage, Bill Hader, and Henry Winkler. My biggest
quibbles are that I would pick The Crown the best drama over the now-rushed Game
of Thrones, and for best comedy I would pick Barry.
On the other hand, speaking of movies I will actually see in a theater, the
real official first Captain Marvel
trailer is out, and I am already looking to see if I can buy a ticket.
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