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Archived News:
WG Labs announces the release of the Master of Orion Collector's Edition, though
what this offers for now is early access to the 4X strategy game, and it will
also include content exclusive to the collectors who add this to their
collection of collections. This is being offered through
GOG.com and
Steam, and you can take
a look a the game and this edition in
this
trailer highlighting its contents. Here's word: Master of Orion is
another step closer to launch as WG Labs announces the availability of the
Collector’s Edition offering Early Access to all who purchase. As of today,
explorers can “Conquer the Stars” with six playable races, battle against
friends in multiplayer or AI opponents and test their mettle in real-time
Tactical Battles.
Early Access puts players first in line to experience all of Master of Orion’s
iconic 4X gameplay and more. Six diverse races—Mrrshan, Psilon, Bulrathi, Alkari,
Human, Sakkra—will be the first races to battle for supremacy of the galaxy,
with more to arrive in the near future. There are many paths to victory for
explorers in their quest for Orion, such as “Diplomatic”, “Conquest” and
“Excellence”, and more on the horizon.
Multiplayer is a big part of the Early Access package. Explorers can lay down
the gauntlet to friends across the world and challenge them to a campaign or
embark on their own road to galactic conquest against AI races. Real-time
Tactical Battles add a new, immersive dynamic to Master of Orion, letting
players take their own, custom-designed fleets to war, where they must use every
trick and tactic at their disposal to claim victory.
The launch of the Master of Orion grants players the three original Master of
Orion titles. Upon the game’s final release later in 2016, a detailed digital
art book, soundtrack by original Master of Orion composer, retro pixel ships,
and an exclusive race for Collector’s Edition holders: the Terran Khanate become
available.
Continue here to read the full story.
Amanita Design announces a March 24th release date for the Windows and OS X
editions of Samorost 3, a "loose" continuation of the point-and-click
adventuring of the first two games in the series. You can take a look at what
Amanita Design founder Jakub Dvorský calls their "biggest, most ambitious
project to date" in this
trailer, and here's word on the release plan: Amanita Design, the
independent minds behind award-winning games like Machinarium and Botanicula,
have announced that their latest title, Samorost 3, is expected to launch on
Windows PC and Mac systems on March 24. Samorost 3 is a point-and-click
exploration adventure game that loosely continues the stories established in
Samorost (2003) and Samorost 2 (2005), both cult hits of early indie gaming.
“Samorost 3 is by far our biggest, most ambitious project to date,” said
Samorost creator and Amanita Design founder Jakub Dvorský. “Our goal was to
create something playful yet dense, blending the challenging logic puzzles of
Machinarium with the more relaxed gameplay and tone of Botanicula. We think it
offers something that both longtime fans of the series and newcomers will be
able to enjoy.”
As Samorost 3 begins, a little space gnome finds a strange magical flute that
falls from the sky. He uses the instrument's powers to travel to the cosmos in
search of its origins, scouring the alien landscapes of five planets and four
moons to solve clever mysteries along the way. Each of Samorost 3’s organically
inspired biomes presents a uniquely colorful world full of hidden surprises and
achievements for keen players to discover.
Samorost 3’s surreal art style and character designs sell a universe that is at
once astonishingly otherworldly and oddly familiar, brought to life with highly
detailed graphics and animations. Beyond instilling an intensely atmospheric
energy, the game’s abstract yet expressive sound design, accompanied by an
original soundtrack from Tomáš "Floex" Dvorák, often plays a crucial role in
delivering subtle environmental clues for players to piece together.
Samorost 3 is expected to arrive on PC and Mac on March 24 for $19.99 through
Steam, GOG.com, Humble Store, the Mac App Store, and its official website:
www.samorost3.net. Samorost 3 Cosmic
Edition - containing the full game, a digital art book and its original
soundtrack - will be available for $24.99. The core game is expected to come to
iOS and Android smartphones and tablets later this year.
Continue here to read the full story.
German Swiss e-tailer World of Games now has a listing for Battlefield 5,
which, if accurate, reveals a World War I setting for the next installment in
the military shooter series. They call it a "Mehrspieler Taktik Shooter im 1.
Weltkrieg," which in English is "Multiplayer tactical shooter in WW1," and list
an October 26, 2016 release date. If that post ends up disappearing,
NeoGAF has it
preserved for posterity. Thanks
PCGamesN, who point out that dates leaked in such a manner are often wrong,
but the included of game details carry a certain degree of credibility.
Update: While we expected this listing to be quickly removed, this remains
at the end of the day, but the description has been edited to remove the
reference to World War I, as it now just reads: "Mehrspieler Taktik Shooter."
Cyanide Studio and Focus Home Interactive offer some details, images, and a 2017
release window for Call of Cthulhu, basically the first news about this
Lovecraft-inspired game since it was
announced a couple of years
ago. They also say that Cyanide Studio is now the developer on the project,
which was originally to be created by Frogwares.
The
images show off the horrors of bad housekeeping, and the accompanying text
helps us better understand their plans for the game: H. P. Lovecraft's
famously twisted universe will be coming alive on consoles and PC in 2017, in
the official video game adaptation of Chaosium's pen & paper RPG Call of
Cthulhu. The Cthulhu Mythos has grown to become one of the largest shared
universes ever envisioned, giving birth to countless stories, novels, and even
movies ever since the original publication of Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu.
Today, discover the game's first screenshots, which showcase the dark,
oppressive ambiance of the game's semi-open environments built in Unreal Engine
4.
Developed by seasoned studio Cyanide, Call of Cthulhu is an RPG-Investigation
game with psychological horror and stealth mechanics, set in a deeply immersive
world. On a mission to find the truth behind the death of an acclaimed artist
and her family on a backwater island, the player will soon uncover a more
disturbing truth as the Great Dreamer, Cthulhu, prepares its awakening...
"We are happy that Focus entrusted us with the development of a videogame
adaptation of the legendary RPG Call of Cthulhu. As long-time fans of the
license, working with longtime partner publisher Focus Home Interactive on such
an original and exciting project is, once again, a privilege. We hope to offer
fans the game they've long been waiting for."
Patrick Pligersdorffer - CEO of Cyanide Studio
"We are deeply honored to be partnering with Cyanide again. They've grown
alongside us for the past 10 years, to become today one of the best independent
developers in Europe. With titles such as Styx: Master of Shadows and the Blood
Bowl series, they've proved their creativity and ability to offer strong gaming
experiences in original worlds. Cyanide has been wanting to make a Call of
Cthulhu adaptation for years. They now hold all the cards to create a game that
will please fans of the Cthulhu mythos, as well as players eager for rich and
original gaming experiences."
Cédric Lagarrigue - President of Focus Home Interactive
Call of Cthulhu will release in 2017 on consoles and PC
The Globe and Mail reports that Ubisoft is in discussions with financiers in
an attempt to fend off what's described as a hostile takeover by Vivendi, owners
of a 15% stake in the company. Ubisoft founder and CEO Yves Guillemot, confirmed
meets are taking place with potential investors in Montreal and Toronto to help
the Guillemot's retain control of the company, and this blurb explains what's
going on, implying local jobs may be on the line: Mr. Guillemot and his
four brothers started Ubisoft in France’s Brittany region and own a minority
stake, expanding it more than 30 years to become one of the world’s top five
video game publishers. They’re trying to push away Vivendi and its billionaire
chairman, Vincent Bolloré, who has amassed a 15-per-cent stake in Ubisoft in
recent months and made an unsolicited takeover offer worth some 500-million
euros ($750-million) for another Guillemot brothers-run gaming company, Gameloft
SE.
The hostile bid on Gameloft is the first step in Vivendi’s larger ploy to force
talks with the Guillemot family and take over Ubisoft, analysts at European
investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co. have said.
At stake are more than 3,000 Ubisoft jobs in Montreal, Quebec, Toronto and
Halifax, and hundreds of millions in capital invested since the company opened
its first studio in Canada in 1997. Quebec has the most to lose, with Ubisoft
representing a pillar of its multimedia industry.
Although it’s unlikely Vivendi would shut down Ubisoft’s Canadian studios
outright, the assets would be better protected if Ubisoft remained independent,
Mr. Guillemot told The Globe and Mail on Thursday. Ubisoft enjoys a
decision-making and operational agility that it wouldn’t have under Vivendi, and
can forge better partnerships with global media players such as Warner Bros.
instead of being forced to work with Vivendi’s properties, the CEO said.
Matrix Games now features the release of Tigers on the Hunt, a World
War II tactical wargame for PC that makes no excuses about being a hardcore game
with a higher degree of complexity than many such offerings, though in contrast,
they describe the included scenario editor as being quite user-friendly. Here's
word: Tigers on the Hunt is a World War 2 hard-core tactical wargame for
PC.
It creates a truly and immersive tactical simulation. Tigers on the Hunt boasts
a ferocious and adaptive AI which will dynamically respond to a player’s
maneuvers. Players can enjoy massive battles across up to 12 connected
geomorphic maps with over 200 Infantry units, 100 Support Weapons, 100 Ordnance
pieces and 50 Vehicles per side.
The sequence of play is more complex and interactive than any other WW2 turn
based PC tactical wargame: game turns are broken down into 16 segments per turn,
8 segments per side and battlefields can range from small to huge in size and
complexity, up to 3.8km x 1.6km in size and 200 infantry squads, 50 guns and 50
vehicles per side.
For scenario designers, a powerful and easy-to-user editor is available in
Tigers on the Hunt. Editing maps, scenarios, and OOBs can be done with just a
few clicks so the possibilities for enjoying WW2 tactical engagements are near
limitless!
Though there are a couple of cold-ish days in the forecast, spring is almost
upon us after what turned out to be a pretty mild winter. With that in mind, I'm
gearing up to shear both the Gunnar-man and myself, as we've both grown
exceptionally shaggy. For me it's a heavy winter beard (somewhere between relief
pitcher and ZZ Top member length), and for my poodle buddy everywhere but, as I
just trimmed around his face occasionally, and allowed his body hair to grow
wild. I think we both kind of enjoy our current states, but it will also be fun
to do something to commemorate the change of seasons. It will also be kind of
nice for me to rid myself of the periodic itchiness that such a beard causes,
while for Gunnar, it won't suck when he stops dragging in bits of tree debris
and such that end up velcroing (I just invented a verb) to his coat when he goes
out.
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