Archived News:

Tuesday, Oct 15, 2024

SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Resume Next Week

SAG-AFTRA announces plans to resume negotiations for a new Interactive Media Agreement with video game companies as the union continues the strike that began during the summer. The two sides will meet on October 23rd, almost 11 months after the last in-person bargaining session, according to a surprising report on Variety. Here's the plan:
SAG-AFTRA and the convenience bargaining group with whom the union negotiates its Interactive Media Agreement will resume negotiations on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The convenience bargaining group includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.

No further comment is available from either party at this time.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 PC Specs

A new post on the Call of Duty Blog discusses the impending launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on October 25th. The new installment in the shooter series will also come to consoles, but this article discusses the PC edition. It gives a little love to partner AMD in looking at PC features, specs, and a launch schedule. Word is: "Preloading begins for everyone on October 21 at 9AM PT. Download the whole package — Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies — so you’re ready to play right at launch. For Microsoft PC players, the game will roll out regionally on October 24 between 4AM PT and 11PM PT." There's a new PC Launch Trailer highlighting PC graphics and features along with the following updated PC specifications:

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Post-Launch Plans

Saber Interactive reveals post-launch content plans for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, the sci-fi third-person shooter.. Word is a first free major update is coming "very, very soon," as opposed to the first Season Pass cosmetic content, which is only due "soon." A new Post-Launch Overview Trailer shows off a year's worth of planned free content, starting with the new Lethal difficulty level and a new PvE operation called Termination. Here are the details:
The first major update, featuring the Termination operation and Lethal Difficulty mode, is coming for free to all players very, very soon. For the rest of this year and throughout 2025, new content will keep coming to Space Marine 2. Free updates include the upcoming Neo-Volkite pistol, and later, new PvE operations, PvP maps and modes, as well as a blood-pumping Horde Mode with just one challenge: survive. Further awesome cosmetics for all your favorite Space Marine chapters are also on the way soon.

Alongside the free updates dropping regularly in the months to come, developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment will soon bring the Season Pass to life with a Dark Angels theme pack. New weapon styles, armor pieces, and color schemes featuring the Unforgiven are coming soon as part of the first Season Pass, expanding the already numerous customization options to unlock in the Battle Barge.
Continue here to read the full story.

Neva Launches

Neva say neva, as Neva is now available for PC and consoles, launching a new action/adventure game from GRIS developer Nomada Studio. The Windows and macOS edition is available Steam, and while it doesn't carry a launch discount, there's a bundle on Steam with this and GRIS for 15% off. A new Launch Trailer shows off this "emotionally-charged" game featuring the adventures of a young woman and her companion wolf. Here's word:
Following a traumatic encounter with dark forces, Alba finds herself bound to a curious, mischievous wolf cub. Working together, the pair help each other overcome increasingly dangerous situations and battle strange, violent creatures.

The wolf will grow and mature over time — as will Alba's relationship with it as they traverse this cursed, decaying world together.
Continue here to read the full story.

MX vs ATV Legends - Reflex Pack Released

A new Reflex map pack is now available for MX vs ATV Legends on PC and consoles, and the Windows edition is available on Steam. This adds expanded free-ride environments to the dirt-track racing game along with new old content in the form of "six fan-favorite events from MX vs ATV Reflex, lovingly recreated with enhanced visuals." There's also a patch for the base game, as outlined in this post, which also includes a new trailer. Here's more:
THQ Nordic and Rainbow Studios are thrilled to announce the release of the Reflex Pack for MX vs ATV Legends, alongside a major new patch packed with exciting updates and enhancements. Available starting today, the Reflex Pack brings a fresh wave of content for fans, with revamped classic tracks and plenty of new features for the ultimate off-road racing experience!
Continue here to read the full story.

Demos & Freebies

  • Barrage on Steam (Windows). "Embrace the technological evolution and build up your hydroelectric empire in Barrage, a turn-based strategy game where players compete to build majestic dams, exploit the power of running water, and bring their faction to victory!"
  • All in Abyss: Judge the Fake on Steam (Windows). "Either I die, or the Witches perish. I challenge thee to a deathmatch!” Asuha, a self-proclaimed gambling prodigy, challenges the Witch ruling the gambling district. Poised to win, she is defeated by a mysterious power. An adventure of gambling, exposing frauds and earning fortunes through poker."

New World: Aeternum Launches

Amazon Games announces the launch of New World: Aeternum for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, adding new features and content to New World, its online action/RPG. This replaces the base edition of the game on Steam and consoles and adds crossplay support across all three platforms. This is a free upgrade to everyone who bought the original edition of the game and its Rise of the Angry Inch Earth expansion. This post on Steam offers the Launch Trailer along with all the details. Here's a bit:
“Millions of players have explored Aeternum on PC, and we’re thrilled to welcome even more to New World: Aeternum with the console release,” said Christoph Hartmann, Vice President, Amazon Games. “We have listened to player feedback and taken the time to create an unforgettable adventure that can be enjoyed either as a solo journey or together with friends across consoles and PC. New World: Aeternum is the definitive New World experience.”

In New World: Aeternum, shipwrecked adventurers wash ashore and set out to explore a massive, beautiful world and uncover the secret truth of the Eternal Island and its strange inhabitants. New World: Aeternum combines a compelling narrative and a dynamic open world with action-focused, skill-based combat to give players an immersive and rewarding gameplay experience.
Continue here to read the full story.

Darkest Dungeon II: Inhuman Bondage Announced

Red Hook Studios announces Inhuman Bondage (presumably with apologies to W. Somerset Maugham), new DLC coming to Darkest Dungeon II, adding a new playable hero and a new "mini-region" to the RPG sequel. The DLC Teaser Trailer is a first glimpse. Word is this will arrive this year along with an update for the base game: "The paid DLC Inhuman Bondage will launch alongside The Hunger of the Beast Clan, the first of three thematic modules of the brand new game mode Kingdoms, coming to Darkest Dungeon II later in 2024 as a free update. Featuring a completely reimagined game structure, Kingdoms is a parallel game experience to the Confessions game mode. Players will be tasked with defending the realm from incursions by all-new enemy-factions. Up first they will be tasked with fending off the pitiless onslaught of the rotting and ravenous beastmen!" Here's more:
Unleash the beast within! The Abomination makes his return to the Darkest Dungeon series. This reclusive alchemist comes with a unique battle mechanic, allowing him to transform into a fearsome monstrosity - at the risk of spiraling stress! This new hero will come complete with unique trinkets, signature items, palettes, weapon kits and a fully voiced origin story including playable flashback encounters.

The Catacombs invite players to plunge their stagecoach into a long forgotten subterranean mini-region to face a corrosive, oozing threat. This is a high risk, high reward region featuring a faction of new slime sodden enemies and new items, that will bring variety and challenge to both the original Confessions mode and Kingdoms, an upcoming new game mode arriving later this year.
Continue here to read the full story.

Demos & Freebies

  • Cook For Love Demo on Steam (Windows). "Win the hearts of Parisians with your cooking, discover delicious recipes, and become a chef worthy of working onboard the Orient Express."
  • Doors of Insanity: ReOpened on Steam (Windows). "Gear up, sling cards, and power through the endless doors of Purgatory in this demo for Doors of Insanity: ReOpened!"
  • Empire of the Ants on Steam (Windows). "Conquer enemy nests and lead your colony through the perils of the forest in this groundbreaking RTS. Empire of the Ants is a photorealistic, third-person real-time strategy game where you command your insect troops in epic battles."
  • Escape Tales: The Awakening on Steam (Windows). "'Escape Tales: The Awakening' is a haunting narrative puzzle game that plunges you into a world shrouded in darkness and mystery. Immerse yourself in a gripping tale of loss, redemption, and the echoes of a forgotten past based on the well-received escape room card game."
  • Spirit of the North 2 on Steam (Windows). "Unveil the mysteries of a beautiful ancient world in this breathtaking 3rd-Person Adventure, a sequel to the acclaimed ‘Spirit of the North.’ Take on the role of an isolated fox with a raven companion on a quest to restore the lost guardians and return home."

Out of the Blue

To follow-up on the sportsball talk from Sunday (spoiler warning), it turns out Xfinity/Comcast did come through for me, and I was able to use its new Leeloo Dallas Multiview feature to watch the Giants and Mets games, despite them being inconveniently scheduled at the same time. The feature is neat, as allowed me to watch both games and switch between audio streams, though of course each broadcast was in a window the size of a 1990s TV. Unfortunately, if both your teams are losing, as mine ended up doing on Sunday, watching like this just compounds the agony. So while I ended up being able to watch both games, I'm still unhappy with both leagues for scheduling things this way. I'm sure they don't care. In fact a quick check shows that of the Mets series goes six games there will be a game Sunday night, opposite Sunday Night football, which features, yup, the New York Jets. So that would be three Sundays in a row with the Mets competing with a New York Football team.

Simultaneous Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

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