Archived News:

Thursday, Jan 09, 2025

Assassin's Creed Shadows Delayed

Ubisoft Xeets the announcement that it is delaying the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows to March 20th, saying an additional five weeks allows for "an even more ambitious and engaging day one experience." The stealth/action sequel's previous February 14th release date also followed a delay for further refinement and polish. The post also reiterates a willingness to be swayed by what it generously calls "ongoing dialogue between our players and development teams" about the controversial game. Here's word:
Since November, we've been thrilled to share our progress through Gameplay Overviews, and the overwhelming excitement has truly inspired us. Each week has brought valuable feedback from our community. While we've already made remarkable strides, we believe a few additional weeks are needed to implement that feedback and ensure an even more ambitious and engaging day-one experience.

Accordingly, the new release date is March 20, 2025. We remain committed to delivering a high-quality, immersive experience—fostered by ongoing dialogue between our players and development teams.
Continue here to read the full story.

Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch This Month

Headup announces the Early Access date for Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch, saying the deckbuilding dungeon defense sequel will come to Windows on January 21st. It will launch on GOG.com,* where predecessor Vambrace: Cold Soul* was a giveaway last week and Steam, where the demo released during the summer remains playable. The Early Access Release Date Announcement Trailer takes a look. Here's the deal:
Utilize your strategic deck of cards to unleash devastating magic spells and summon formidable combat units onto the battlefield. Annihilate your foes with lightning bolts, fireballs, and barrages of arrows while buffing your troops with damage boosts, morale boons, and protective armor. Observe as your units join the battle, decimating intruders with unique abilities.
*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

January Prime Gaming Freebies

The Prime Gaming January Content Update has word for Prime Gaming (Amazon Prime) subscribers of the free games they can collect this month. Here's the rundown:
With Prime Gaming, Amazon Prime members enjoy a collection of free downloadable games to keep forever, a monthly Twitch channel subscription and more.

This January, Prime members can claim a fresh lineup of free games, including Eastern Exorcist, The Bridge, BioShock™ 2 Remastered, Spirit Mancer, SkyDrift Infinity, GRIP, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition, To The Rescue!, Star Stuff, Spitlings, Zombie Army 4: Dead War, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Blood West and Super Meat Boy Forever

Issues & Activism

Get Turmoil for Free

Turmoil is now free to keep on the Epic Games Store, which is settling back into its weekly giveaway schedule following a holiday spree. It's not clear if there will be blood, but this Windows and macOS game allows players to drill for oil in the earliest days of prospecting. It promises a tongue-in-cheek experience, which is demonstrated by the Turmoil Release Trailer from 2016. You have to claim your copy over this week, as next Thursday Escape Academy will be unshackled as the next freebie. Here's more of what this includes, such as the far-fetched premise of buying your way into politics:
Get a taste of the rush and rivalry of the time as you earn your way to become a successful oil entrepreneur. As you make money digging up and selling oil, the town will grow along with you.

Lease land at the town auction and search for oil. Build a rig, create an efficient pipe network and bring up the oil to store it in silos. Sell the oil at the best times to maximize profits. Then buy essential upgrades in town to cope with rock, gas and ice. Acquire more town shares than your competitors in a bid to become the new mayor.
Continue here to read the full story.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH PC Trailer

A new PC Features Trailer for FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH shows off the Windows edition of the RPG remake that's set to launch on January 23rd. The description discusses the clip and includes an upgrade pitch:
Get an in-depth look at the PC features of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, the second game of the FINAL FANTASY™ VII remake project, coming to PC on January 23, 2025.

After escaping from the dystopian city of Midgar, Cloud and his friends set out on a journey across the planet. New adventures await in a vibrant and vast world – sprint across grassy plains on a Chocobo and explore expansive environments.
#FF7R
Continue here to read the full story.

V Rising Sells 5M; Reveals Expansion Plans

Stunlock Studios celebrates the stunning news that V Rising has sold more than five million copies since the vampire survival game rose almost three years ago. It was announced last April that the game surpassed four million sales, so it continues to show its teeth. The announcement also reveals plans for a new expansion coming this year adding a new biome, a new faction, and new (yet ancient) technology. There's also the promise of a revamped progression system, a Fusion Forge, and "risk-free" PvP. All this and more are covered in a new Dev Update #28. Here's a bit:
“Hitting 5 million sales isn’t just a number, it’s a testament to the passion and dedication of our team and our incredible community,” said Rickard Frisegård, CEO at Stunlock Studios. “Our player's enthusiasm drives us to push boundaries and deliver even more unforgettable experiences. We’re excited to build on this success and deliver thrilling new experiences and content in 2025.”

Prepare for a vampiric evolution as Stunlock Studios is set to redefine the vampire experience with a big update coming in 2025. A brand-new biome awaits, teeming with uncharted territories, a deadly new faction, and ancient technologies ready to be claimed.
Continue here to read the full story.

HITMAN World of Assassination Boasts 75M Agents

Here's more engagement bragging, as IO Interactive announces that over 75 million players have now played HITMAN World of Assassination, fuelled in part by the free trial version of the murder-for-hire game. Here's what the indie developer has to say about this:
IO Interactive, the independent video game developer and publisher behind the internationally acclaimed HITMAN franchise is thrilled to announce that HITMAN World of Assassination has surpassed the milestone of 75 million players worldwide since its launch, ensuring even more its status as the most successful Hitman game of all time. HITMAN World of Assassination has known resounding success since the launch of the first part of the new trilogy in 2016, achieving the franchise’s highest Metacritic score with the release of HITMAN III in 2021. HITMAN World of Assassination ushered a new take on the franchise, offering a unique blend of stealth action, groundbreaking freedom of approach, and a living, breathing world, filled with intriguing characters and lethal opportunities.
Continue here to read the full story.

Defender's Quest 2 This Month

There's ruin in the forecast, as Armor Games Studios and Level Up Labs announce that Defender's Quest 2: Mists of Ruin will launch on Steam on January 30th. This new installment in the tower defense series will also come to PlayStation and Switch at a later TBA date. The Re-Announcement Trailer from last year takes a look at what's changed in the dozen years since the launch of the first game. Here's an overview:
Engage in vibrant tower defense battles using The Hunters, lead by the spear-wielding Evni Hunt, and the Stars with their fearless captain Ketter Star. Unlock and build relationships with crew members across both groups, each with abilities to master, backstories to unravel, and upgrades to unlock.

In a main campaign spanning six to ten hours of gameplay, complete levels rewarding long-term strategy and RPG tactics. Wield laser cannons, carving spears, and hammers to take down pesky Pinchbugs among other foes. Overcome each obstacle with accessibility options ranging from multiple difficulty settings to sped-up or slowed-down dialogue and control mapping.
Continue here to read the full story.

Void Sails Announced

Ticking Clock Games announces Void Sails, a spacefaring adventure/RPG coming to Steam on May 1st. Like a precursor to Space Battleship Yamato, this involves flying versions of sea ships, in this case going further back in history to the Age of Sail. This can be seen in the Announcement Trailer which shows off retro-futuristic combat, cannonballs and all. We're told the launch will be preceded by a playable demo in February's Steam Next Fest. Here's a description:
Void Sails is a single-player adventure where you captain a flying ship across uncharted space. Sail through mysterious worlds, battle powerful foes, and make story-defining choices that will lead you to one of the many possible endings.

Uncover dark secrets in a game where every discovery could bring you closer to the truth, or Eldritch levels of madness.
Continue here to read the full story.

Gunsmith Simulator: New Flint & Powder Released

New Flint & Powder DLC is now available for Windows on Steam, adding new content to Gunsmith Simulator, the ballistic installment in PlayWay's quest to simulate every job on the planet. As the name implies, this adds some balls to the game, as you will craft and repair barrel-loading flintlock firearms to presumably equip a state-of-the-art 18th century militia. The Release Trailer provides a look, and the description fills in the blanks. Here's how this will test your clicking craftsmanship:
In the Flint & Powder DLC, you’ll immerse yourself in the fascinating world of historical firearms. Discover five unique models that played a significant role in the evolution of weaponry. Among the new challenges, you’ll encounter the Spanish Miquelet Flintlock Pistol, the iconic Flintlock Derringer, the Polish Kozienicki Rifle, the Brown Bess Musket, and the Danish Dragon M-1772 Pistol. Repair, restore, and test these legendary models to become a true master of historical gunsmithing!
Continue here to read the full story.

Miscellaneous Releases

  • FAIRY TAIL 2 - Bonus Scenario "Fairy Tail Hot Springs" on Steam (Windows). "And so begins the competition between Fairy Tail members as they try to reach the mysterious secret springs. In this episode of slapstick comedy, the members wander the area battling their comrades."
  • S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH on Steam (Windows). "S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH is a text-driven adventure game powered by immersive keyboard interactions. The story is set in Castor Yard, a fictional modern city in 2011. You play as Miki, who works part-time chatting on behalf of clients, meeting a variety of people and Cyber-Life online. Create your own memories in Caster Yard through countless small and big decisions made with each keystroke."

Out of the Blue

There was some drama here in the BlueTower last night when the power went out. The wind has increased here over the past couple of days, an presumably a tree knocked down an overhead wire. The power company warned it would take a few hours to fix, so this might have prevented an update last night, but their estimate was conservative, and we were back in under an hour. But there's an actual wind advisory today, so we may not be out of the woods yet. We had a major outage right after we first moved here, so I guess I'm still skittish about that, but hopefully if there's another problem it can be solved just as quickly.

Someone commented on the requirement of an ESPN login for our Pigskin Playoff Bracket Challenge Group. Apologies if that's a non-starter. I used to compile the results by hand, but that was clunky at best. We then used a couple of smaller pool sites over the years, but eventually landed on this one, probably just due to stability. But if you are interested in participating, I hope you can overcome that and join in.

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Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

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