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Archived News:
Rockstar Games announces a new freemode update coming next week to Grand
Theft Auto Online, adding some additional gameplay elements to the
unstructured multiplayer mode of Grand Theft Auto V. This
trailer offers a
look, and here's an outline of the werewolves and other twists this will bring
to the action sandbox sequel: Freemode Events in Grand Theft Auto Online
are a new advancement in open world gameplay, giving players access to a range
of seamlessly integrated games and challenges in GTA Online’s Freemode. Taking
full advantage of the latest generation of consoles and PC hardware, there are
no menus, lobbies, or load times – just an open Freemode session filled with
Friends, Crewmates, rivals, and randoms where spontaneous and chaotic new games
and challenges will appear.
One of these events can kick off at any given moment while in Freemode, and you
can customize your session to decide exactly which ones will happen – so you can
play as much or as little of this new content as you like. With countless
variations on each Freemode Event, there are tons of unique new experiences,
each offering new opportunities for reaping GTA$ and RP in GTA Online.
Bethesda.net now offers the
first video
introducing the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system in Fallout 4, starting a the
beginning by explaining the power of the Strength attribute in Bethesda's RPG
sequel. The clip uses their familiar retro cheerful "duck-and-cover" style, and
will be followed by weekly clips covering the remaining six traits. Here's word:
Following total atomic annihilation, the rebuilding of this great nation
of ours may fall to you. That’s why Vault-Tec has prepared this educational
video series for you to better understand the seven defining attributes that
make you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.!
Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck – all
of these attributes will impact how you survive and thrive aboveground.
Today we’ve released the first video in the series – starting, of course, with
Strength. Study it carefully to ensure your survival and to discover what makes
you S.P.E.C.I.A.L. And be sure to check back in a week for the next video in the
series.
Continue here to read the full story.
A new Creature Trailer
from SOMA shows off more of Frictional's upcoming science-fiction horror game
(thanks
PC Gamer). A
Steam group announcement has more details: Uneven footsteps slowly
edging closer. The friction of flesh skimming along the metal hull. Air
throbbing with absolute silence. You are not alone in PATHOS-II.
From Frictional Games, creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SOMA is a sci-fi
horror game that questions our concepts of identity, consciousness, and what it
means to be human.
SOMA is coming September 22nd to PC and PS4.
Continue here to read the full story.
The rerelease of Steve Jackson's Sorcery series is coming to Windows and
OS X episodically from inkle beginning at the end of this year. They also
announce a fourth installment is being developed to cap this off following the
release of the original three games. A
Sorcery! website has details, and
here's an overview: Spun off from the beloved gamebooks of the 1980s,
Steve Jackson's Sorcery! takes players on an epic fantasy quest to recover the
stolen Crown of Kings. Playing as either a male or female hero, explore a
beautifully illustrated world filled with unique and memorable encounters,
vicious traps, magic spells, strategic turn-based combat, and moral tests that
can make or break a hero. Every decision you make is used to pen your own
distinct adventure, and with each installment building on the last, you can
continue with the same character to experience story outcomes in later games
related to choices made early on.
Sorcery! Parts 1-3 will release about once a month, on a schedule to be
announced soon. A fourth and final Sorcery! installment is under development for
PC and Mac as well as iOS and Android.
Dropsy is now available on GOG.com,
Humble Store,
and Steam for Windows, OS
X, and Linux, offering the chance to experience the point-and-click adventures
of this not at all creepy clown. Here's a
Sing-A-Long Edition launch
trailer, and here's the game's heartwarming backstory: During the
quest to clear his name and revoke his urban legend status following a deadly
circus fire, Dropsy will encounter a peculiar cast of folk to communicate with
through visual icons rather than traditional text dialog trees. Through these
rudimentary conversations, Dropsy takes players on a journey of self-discovery
with a story that harnesses powerful themes of love and redemption – Dropsy the
character is an outsider, and longs for a place among the people inhabiting his
world. Along his adventure, players will find answers to geographically based
puzzles, unravel dark and shameful secrets, and collect fancy items to stuff in
his elastic waistband for use along the way. Oh, and Dropsy can also talk to
animals but you should know that by now. C’mon.
“These so-called industry experts will tell you that the ‘mute clown
point-and-click adventure’ genre is dead but our research shows that this
thinking couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Devolver Digital CFO Fork
Parker. “Also, the game has zero text so we’re saving millions on localization
costs.”
Dropsy is now available on Steam, Humble, and GOG with 10 percent off the
standard $9.99 price during the first week of launch, and Dropsy’s biggest fans
can also purchase the Warm Damp Hug Edition that includes the game, the
incredible official soundtrack, the Dreamworld EP, and the Dropsy Book of
Secrets digital book for $19.99. Dropsy will also release on iOS and Android
later this fall.
Continue here to read the full story.
Otherland is now available for Early Access
on Steam in advance of
the full release of this "buy to play" MMORPG based on the novels of Tad
Williams. Here's an Early
Access launch trailer with a look, and here's word: The wait is over:
After more than six years in development, now everyone can get a glimpse of
Otherland while Drago is putting the finishing touches on the ambitious and
visually stunning Action MMORPG. Almost feature- and content complete, it is now
up to the community to test the game in-depth, provide feedback and thus shape
the final product.
"As our commercial release draws near, we decided to go Early Access on Steam
because it allows us to better involve the community into the polishing
process," commented Lucjan Mikociak, CEO of DRAGO Entertainment. "Make no
mistake: There are still a ton of bugs to fix and we are still working hard to
improve all aspects of the game – but we believe that Otherland is a far cry
from other games that run under the Early Access banner and has already been
offering PvE and PvP fun for many weeks. With the ongoing support of the
community we are creating the game SciFi Fans have been waiting for!"
Most of Otherland's unique features – starting with the eDNA System that allows
users to "collect and clone" items and NPCs, down to Player Housing and PVP
systems – have been fully implemented. Others, such as the extensive Clan Land
and Clan War Features are far along in development and will be added soon.
Regular content updates such as new worlds filled with quests, additional
battlegrounds and mini-games are planned for the upcoming months, taking the
community feedback into account. Revenues derived from Early Access will flow
right back into development, allowing for additional time to balance and
optimize and polish the game before the intended Release in early
2016.
Continue here to read the full story.
Indie studio inkle announces a September 29th Windows and OS X release date for
80 Days, their adventure game loosely based on Jules Verne's Around
the World in 80 Days. This is already available for mobiles, but the desktop
versions will add new content. There are details on the
80 Days website and here's word: Set
in an alternate-history version of Jules Verne's Victorian era, 80 Days sends
players on a real-time race around an ever-changing, often surprising steampunk
world. Playing as Phileas Fogg's French valet Passepartout, use strategy and
cunning to help your employer win a hefty bet before the clock runs out. Choose
your route, manage your finances, interact with hundreds of diverse characters,
see the world, and lose yourself in a massive, branching adventure as you
attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days -- or faster! Brand new content
debuting in the PC / Mac version will bring 80 Days' word count to almost
750,000 (more than the first five Harry Potter novels combined!), with nearly
200 cities to visit.
- Bandai Namco Publisher Weekend on
Steam.
- Call of Juarez Gunslinger on
Steam. Save 75%.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on
Steam. Save 30%.
- Saints Row Franchise on
Steam.
- Super Slam Showdown on
Humble Weekly Bundle.
Kalypso Media is now offering A Song of Sand and Fire, which is the
completely not Game of Thrones-inspired title of the new DLC for Dungeons 2,
Realmforge Studios' Dungeon Keeper-inspired strategic simulation. You can find
details on the add-on and info on how to pick up a copy on the
Dungeons website. If you want to
see this in action, you can head over to
Twitch today at 11:00 pm EDT for
a livestream. Here's word: The day in the life of the Ultimate Evil is
never dull. With the daily grind of managing all those minions and facing off
against hordes of demons, orcs and pesky humans not to mention the dragons, life
can be pretty intense. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any busier, today
sees the release of the second Dungeons 2 DLC add-on ‘A Song of Sand and Fire’.
Hold tight, it’s going to be a hot one!
On a tour of the world of Dungeons 2, the widely-travelled Dungeon Lord finds
itself in a scorching desert in this blazing hot new DLC. An insane priestess is
on the loose, burning anything and anyone at the stake. Will the
possibly-flammable Dungeon Lord and it‘s minions also fall victim to the flames?
Or will the Great Evil One be able to survive this ordeal and save itself from
an untimely, charcoal-broiled end?
With over 10 hours of gameplay across three incendiary missions, ‘A Song of Sand
and Fire’ introduces new fiery opponent variants with their own special
abilities
Though Steam News and the
Dota 2 website are silent
on the topic, the
DOTA 2 Twitter feed announces the Dota 2 Reborn update is now live,
offering a Source Engine 2 makeover for Valve's MOBA. Word is: "We are rolling
out the Reborn update over the next couple of hours. Matchmaking is now only
available in Reborn." This page
is where to look for details on what's changed with the new version. Thanks
PC Gamer.
Ubisoft announces the Art of Siege, a series of training sessions to help
prepare players for the intricacies of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege,
the upcoming new installment in the Rainbow Six series of tactical shooters. The
first lesson is already available on this site,
and word is those who can excel in the training program can earn access to the
game's closed beta. Here's an
Art of Siege trailer
and here's word: Being one of the most complex forms of warfare, the
siege technique requires years of training for elite teams, in order to handle
each situation with the right strategies and tactics. With Art of Siege, players
will enter Field Training, an intense Rainbow Six training program allowing them
to get familiar with the different gambits, strategies and Operator specialties.
Only the players able to earn the total gold stars in the five Field Training
Exercises will obtain a key to the Closed Beta.
Art of Siege will also include Wall of Tactics, an area in which each Closed
Beta participant will be able to share their best tactical videos, recorded
during their own matches. It will be up to other players to vote and elect which
tactics are the best overall. Wall of Tactics will go live with at the launch of
the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Closed Beta, on September 24 on PlayStation®4, Xbox
One and Windows PC.
Continue here to read the full story.
Yacht Club Games announces a September 17th release date for Plague of
Shadows, a free content update for Shovel Knight, their side-scrolling
platformer (thanks
Kotaku). This trailer
offers a look at what this will provide, and here's word: Grab your
potions and don your mask, it’s time to play as Plague Knight! Shovel Knight:
Plague of Shadows is a free update is primed to appear on all existing platforms
and regions on September 17th, 2015!! Whether you’re on your favorite system or
trying the game in a new way, we hope you enjoy this free update featuring an
all new alchemical adventure and Challenge Mode!
Continue here to read the full story.
This video
features Blizzard designer Ben Brode, who addresses "the dark side of
releasing new content" for Hearthstone, their virtual card strategy
game (thanks
GameSpot). There are different ways to interpret that, but his
specific focus is how the release of new content for Hearthstone involves ever
more powerful virtual cards, which can diminish the power of older cards and
cause a perpetual upward spiral in power. He notes that brand new players and
veterans have a different take on this topic, and that the scope of the game can
already be daunting for newbies while existing players complain about the "power
creep" caused by new cards. He explains that this is a natural part of making
expansions exciting and shifting the meta, but Blizzard agrees that there is a
problem, and Ben describes this as a Catch-22, saying they continue to discuss
the issues involved, saying they want to come up with the perfect solution ("if
there is one") going forward, though he is short of answers right now. Continue here to read the full story.
Blowfish Studios reveals a delay for Gunscape, saying their first-person
shooter and world building hybrid is now due in January 2016. The Windows,
Linux, OS X, and Xbox One editions were expected last month, but now word is the
game will come simultaneously on all platforms, which suits its ability to share
user content across Windows, OS X, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.
This trailer shows
off the game's split-screen gameplay, and here's word on how content sharing
will work: Gunscape empowers players to create their own experiences.
Featuring weapons, environments, enemies and player models inspired by classic
first-person shooters,
Gunscape provides all of the tools necessary to create intricate single player
or cooperative campaign missions, as well as multiplayer maps with several
different modes.
Those missions and maps can then be uploaded and shared through a simple and
intuitive interface that not only shows newest and most popular maps, but also
features a curated list of some of the best user-created maps available.
Continue here to read the full story.
This video is a
second developer diary for Master of Orion, the upcoming space strategy revival.
Here's word: "In the second installment of WG Labs’ Master of Orion Developer
Diaries, learn about how the very first Master of Orion game came to life,
debuting its iconic 4X gameplay to the world. Hear from the original staff on
how they nurtured a rough game with huge potential into the title that laid the
foundation for the strategy game genre of eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and
eXterminate." Continue here to read the full story.
The tackle football season begins tonight, and as usual it seems a bit out of
place this early, particularly since it was over 90 degrees in these parts
yesterday. It's also still baseball season, which hasn't presented much of a
conflict for me for some time, but the loveable Metsies are firmly in
contention, helping this seem that much more premature. But time, tides, and
kickoffs wait for no man, so here we are. There's still time to get in on the
ground floor of our friendly competition to pick winners, and if you are
interested, you can find all the details
in this post. I'll also pass along a protip from the commissioner: "Just a
reminder on the football board, remember to hit SUBMIT YOUR PICKS at the bottom
- otherwise when you leave the page they won't be set. You can also go to the
GAME HOME tab and check that you have 16/16 picks made."
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