Ubisoft has announced that Steep Road to the Olympics, an expansion to the open world action-sports game Steep and an Official Licensed Product of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, will join the groundbreaking gaming and esports competitions that worldwide Olympic top partner, Intel, will host in PyeongChang in the lead up to The Winter Olympics..
To reach this unprecedented event, fans will have the opportunity to qualify by competing and proving their worth via an online competition taking place in December by playing Steep Road to the Olympics. Further details on how to participate in this competition will be unveiled very soon.
Steep™ Road to the Olympics will also be present via Intel-based PC gaming kiosks throughout the Olympic Village allowing attendees and athletes to test fresh Alpine Skiing, Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing events, including Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super-G, Downhill, Parallel Giant Slalom, Halfpipe, Snowboard Cross, Slopestyle, Ski Halfpipe, Ski Cross and Ski Slopestyle.
Available on December 5, 2017 on Windows PC, PlayStation4 (includes enhanced features on PS4 Pro), and Xbox One (includes enhanced features on Xbox One X), Steep Winter Games Edition will include Steep base game and Steep Road to the Olympics expansion and are now available for pre-order.
Name: Space Pirates and Zombies 2 Developer: MinMax Games Publisher: MinMax Games Platform: PC (Steam and GoG) Release: 7th of November 2017 Acquired: A copy of this game was provided from the publisher for review purposes
Space Pirates and Zombies 2 is the sequel to the 2011 game Space Pirates and Zombies (duh). I did not play the original, but based on the still active reddit community it seems like the game was well liked by its fan-base and has maintained an audience for the six years since its release. Like its predecessor, SPAZ 2 is a survival/strategy game about building spaceships, harvesting resources, fighting other pirates and containing a spreading zombie apocalypse.
The game is available to play in VR if you have a headset, but I cannot speak to the quality of that experience.
Story
As one might expect from a game about pirates and zombies in space, the story of SPAZ 2 is pretty pulpy. I’m going to be using that word a lot so let’s be clear on what I mean. I’m using “pulpy” to refer to the tradition of pulp fiction – books, movies and games with ridiculous premises and over-the-top characters created for the purpose of entertainment. As such, characters are colorful and the dialogue is littered with jokes and coarse humor. Plot-wise, SPAZ 2 is not a great work of literature, but as a backdrop to space battles and zombie-fighting it definitely holds up. The main crew and the ship’s computer is also fully voice-acted which is a solid addition to the game’s story-telling.
In my opinion, SPAZ 2’s greatest strength lies in its emergent stories. The galaxy is filled with other starship captains and their crews and they all want a piece of the pie. Each of them has access to the same toolkit as the player and will use everything in their power to further their own interests. This systemic interaction between actors leads to the best stories of SPAZ 2. Like Tom Cromulent – an ambitious pirate who raided me early on whom I later chased down to duel to the death and eventually got turned into a zombie; or DJ Lick’n’Stick who was my trusty (if absolutely mad) sidekick and wingman for several hours before he too was turned by the zombie tide. At its strongest SPAZ 2 creates stories of revenge, friendship and tragedy through the application of relatively simple systems.
There are definitely some weak points in the integration of story and mechanics. Specifically the game’s relationship with slavery and the value of human lives is strained. A primary resource is called “goons” and is literally sacrificed to fix your ship. You are also encouraged to sell off surplus goons with the line “consider selling human lives in exchange for something of value” which really drives home how little the game thinks of these “goons.” There are also bandits in the game, to serve as mindless cannon fodder in the early game and a non-human threat in the late game. Bandits are described as “potato brained psychos” early on and it is made abundantly clear that their lives are not of value. The inclusion of a class of humans considered so far beneath yourself is very odd especially in a game that literally has zombies – the premier kind of mindless cannon fodder!
Despite its shortcomings though, SPAZ 2 is a genuinely funny pulp story about pirates and zombies in space.
7/10
Gameplay
SPAZ 2’s gameplay consists of two main parts: the tactical galaxy map and space battles. On the galaxy map you move around, meet other captain, gather resources and explore space. Then, when a threat emerges, you go into space battles with a minimal loading screen. On the galaxy map, the primary systems are faction relations, resource management and missions. The world only moves when you do, so you have plenty of time to make careful decision and weigh your options. The main objective of this mode is set by your current missions which give xp and fuel your progress. These missions change over the course of the game to accommodate the story being told and range from “fight a bandit” to “create a faction”. Eventually, the macro-tactical side becomes more important as you work to contain the spread of the zombies through the entire map. The systems that drive your actions on the tactical map are interlocked and make for a lot of great interactions – a feature I think is one of SPAZ 2’s strongest aspects.
When push comes to shove you’re going to have to engage in some all out space battles. These take place in large swatches of space with direct control over your spaceship and its weapon systems. However, the battle itself usually comes down to relatively simple dichotomies: who deals more damage? Whose shields break first? Who brought the most allies? The depth of the combat systems really lie in another sub-system: shipbuilding. SPAZ 2 allows you to put together your spaceship from components which allows for a wide variety of ships with different properties. Engines lets you boost, cores generally boost your shields, wings increase turn rate and most components also serve as weapon platforms. SPAZ 2 also introduces synergy bonuses which gives you the ability to create truly powerful ships relatively early on. Sadly, I don’t think your own custom ship is as interesting as some of the pre-built ones. Pre-built ships allow for really clear strengths and weaknesses: this ship has powerful long range weapons, but weak shields; this ship has missile defenses on the left side and short range scatterguns on the right. This creates much more interesting battles, where your tactics are clearly defined. You want one side facing the opponent, you want to be at a certain range, you want to focus on one type of attacks etc. On the other hand, custom ships tend to be jacks-of-all-trades. This means you often don’t have clearly defined strengths and weaknesses, but rather a defined power level that you hope is enough to beat your opponent. I was also a bit disappointed by the limitation to two dimensions in fighting. Of course ships are 3-dimensional, but controls are limited to a 2D plane which seems like a shame in these vast spaces.
Overall though, SPAZ 2 provides decent arcade-y space battles and an overworld filled with interlocked systems that result in personal stories.
8/10
Controls
The controls are generally intuitive and responsive, though the game sometimes struggles to indicate exactly what certain decisions will do. It is for example very difficult, in my experience, to tell which nearby ships will and won’t participate in an engagement. Sometimes even your wingman is of questionable dependence. The constant shifting between the tactical view – which can be purely moused control – and the combat – which requires WASD and a few other keys – means that if you are a bit lazy (like me) you might be sometimes feel “agh, now I have to sit forward to reach the keyboard again,” but the transition is very smooth.
7/10
Graphics
SPAZ 2 is a pretty stylish game. The space battles are colorful with glowing visual effects, giving it a very arcade-y feel and the tactical map has a clean and readable design. In some of the larger space battles my Geforce GTX 760 struggled a bit and I dropped to 25-30 fps, but this is no hindrance to the game. It’s also probably not noticeable if you have a more powerful computer. Overall, SPAZ 2’s graphics adhere to the themes of the rest of the game: colorful, vibrant and positively pulpy which also means some of the art direction is a bit garish. (Full disclosure though: I am a sucker for the orbiting neutron stars and quasars in the background)
8/10
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Replay value
Every time you start a new game of SPAZ 2, the galaxy is different. The basics are still the same, but the factions and captains inhabiting the area are shuffled around and their relations randomized. This means that those emergent stories – my favorite part of the storytelling – can be told in new ways and with new characters. Maybe Tom Cromulent will be a trusted ally this time.
The main plot and progression is mostly the same however, so I probably wouldn’t recommend another run unless you really enjoyed that.
Name: Assassin’s Creed: Origins Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Reviewed on: PlayStation 4 Pro Acquired: This review is based on a self bought copy of the game
Ubisoft had restrained the annual release of Assassin’s Creed games for one year. But did they benefit from it?
Collectibles
Before I head out to review the newest entry of Assassin’s Creed, I’d like to talk a little about the collector’s edition and other available collectibles to AC: Origins.
I picked up my copy of this “God’s Edition” at launch which includes a figurine, soundtrack, map, artbook and other digital entries such as the “Desert Cobra Pack” and a naval mission “Ambush at sea”. The artbook, soundtrack and other digital entries are fine by me, but it is the figurines of Assassin’s Creed that intrigues me.
The figurine of Bayek, Origin’s main character which is included in collector edition (or Gods Edition) wasn’t as impressive as I’d liked it to be. There are a few good details on Bayek and his equipments and the lion-carved stone he’s standing on. But I can’t lose the feeling that this figurine looks like it was made in a rush when I look at it. Faded colours, edges falling apart and the most annoying thing (have also encountered this on multiple AC figurines) loose parts that won’t fit properly.
But the figurines you can buy beside the collector edition in another hand is something else.
If you can afford the two figurines (yes you need to buy two of them to complete it sadly) of Bayek and Aya, then you got best looking affordable(There is multiple other figurines in greater details and sizes, but these are the most mainstream) figurines of Assassin’s Creed: Origins. The colours might be a little better than the “Gods Edition”, but not much, and the one loose part does fit a lot better. And I must say that I love the touch with the added eagle.
Sadly I couldn’t afford the new hidden blade or the new apple of eden collectible to review for you guys this time.
Story
From what I could understand, Origins was suppose to tell us the story of the beginning of the Assassin Brotherhood. Instead I ended up with more questions than answers, especially one question comes up in my mind: why did they introduce these sci-fi elements into the franchise, if they won’t explore it more?
If you do not already know, this year’s Assassin’s Creed is set in Egypt with an ancient warrior called Bayek who is pledged to protect Egypt, a medjay (I think this is something similar to a sheriff).
Tragic events occurs in Bayek’s hometown which lead him towards different tasks and other events throughout Egypt. I won’t tell much here to exclude spoiling. But Bayek is joined by a another character later on, his wife Aya.
Bayek and Aya’s story goes through a few subjects such as a revenge tale, Cleopatra’s exile, The Roman’s influence on Egypt and the mystery of the Cult. This part of the story is engaging and interesting and leaving me willing for more details. The story kicks off pretty weak and boring at first, but it does get more interesting later on in the game. Perhaps the one thing I wanted more, is to clarify the beginning of the assassins group. Even though the main point of telling us the story of the brotherhood, it sure did gave me some special moments and stories in the side missions or quests. 6/10
Graphics
The world of AC: Origins is massive, and even though they had one extra year to work on this game it still shows a few details that shows this might have been too ambitious. But then again the graphics in Origins are also one of the strong sides of this game. Environmental scenes in large or even huge scales are gorgeous to look at. I easily get the feeling of a warm and exotic adventure coming up, and the lightning work gives an extra touch there. The character designs of the main characters and some of the “side” characters are incredibly made, water effects, draw distances and other smaller details are equally incredible, but then again Origins shows off the ambitious topics. There is a lot of characters that has gone through “copy – paste”, facial animations are strangely made and do not pair up with the voice acting. Smaller details and textures are pretty blurry, and a lot of edges have seen better days.
On the bright side, I didn’t encounter a single bug / glitch on the graphically part. 8/10
Gameplay
One of many new things to Origins is the new combat system. Similar to games such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Bloodborne they use the “hitpoint system”. One button to use light attack, one for heavy attack and one for dodging, buttons for ranged attack are added as well. And like The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne and all other RPG games, there is nothing new or other things that will separate Origins from all the others. Origins is pretty much on the basic level compared to the others. Personally I do not like that they changed this up, even though the old “counter system” was repetitive and sometimes non-challenging will I still say this was one of the things that brought up the charm of the franchise. I’m not saying this combat system is bad, I do enjoy games with this system, I’m just not quite comfortable with this in Assassin’s Creed yet. With this system added, some of the stealth approaches that gave this series a small charm are now gone, things such as blending in with the crowd. I can say that it sure does bring a “fresh start” for the gameplay of the series though.
Other new things have been added into Origins, as the developers has made the decision to create this game into the RPG genre. Such as the new gear system, leveling system and quests. The gear system isn’t an original system, but it does suits the Assassin’s formula. Weapons, armours and tools are organised in terms of rarity and can be dismantled for crafting materials, once again this isn’t a new thing, and if we add the layout of the user interface (menus, map and inventory system) it sure gets familiar to players from Destiny.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins might struggle a little bit finding its own identity with this decision of creating this as an Role Playing game and with the new combat system. But there is one thing that stood out in this game that is incredible fun and excellently made: eagle vision.
The new way to use the eagle vision is brilliant, it’s complex but easy to use and why they didn’t do this before is beyond me. You simply take control over Senu, your eagle. Flying over locations, fortresses, outposts and so on, tagging enemies and points of interest is incredibly fun and a new way to approach your target.
The AI in Origins might not be the smartest in the franchise though, and that kind of ruined some of the experience, but this is not a game breaking topic. 7/10
Controls
The controls in Origins are simple, but very hard to master, especially in head to head fights. As said, the hitpoint system isn’t a new thing and the ways to approach targets might differ. But I found myself multiple times struggling to figuring out how to use the dodge button. No matter what I did, I kept being hit and I just gave up and went all in. This might be positive thing as this gives a more challenging game, but it is also a frustrating part.
8/10
Replay Value
The world of Origins is massive! I’m not even close finishing the game even after the completing the story. There is plenty things to do in different activities such as learning more about the ancient Egypt, exploring tombs, taking over outposts, beating your opponents in the Hippodrome (horse racing) or in the arena in gladiator style. Or simply just explore the gorgeous environmental graphics Origins provides and use the in-game photo mode to take amazing pictures. “Sadly” more content is under its way in form of expansions, but starting a new game to play the story again isn’t something I would do.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare first released back in 5, November 2007 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo DS. And boy I had tons of hours on both the PlayStation 3 and PC version. I still have the nervously freezing feeling from the «All ghillied up» mission.
Name: Spintires: Mudrunner Developer: Saber Interactive Publisher: Focus Home Interactive Released: 31.10.2017 Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Reviewed on: Xbox One Acquired: A copy of this game was provided from publisher for review purpose
Spintires: Mudrunner is what the developers is calling the ultimate version of the indie hit Spintires on PC. It is also now available on consoles where they have put in all the content to release it on both PC, Xbox Oneand PlayStation 4.
This Off RoadSimulator was originally released on PC in 2014, , where they put you in control of vehicles in difficult terrain to navigate through different tasks. This is still what Spintires is about, but now with more vehicles, missions and challenges to give hours of content to play with.
Campaign
Spintires is very straight forward when it comes to the campaign, this is a pure gameplay kinda game. There is no story or main character, it’s you as a player against mother nature. You have missions that you have to complete to unlock new ones in different locations, and with different objectives. You also have bonus task you can do to get extra points, which helps you unlock things faster. Missions can take time to complete and you might have to start over again and again. The size of the maps can look overwhelming sometimes, when you are driving as slow as possible to not be stuck in the mud. And when you have to drive all over the map to complete missions, you will use time to get to know the terrain, find gas stations and to find log stations.
8/10
Graphics
Spintires: Mudrunner will not win any awards when it comes to graphics, it is not bad looking game but it has its flaws. It looks good when driving around in the forest or on the mountains, and their is great texturing. But there is no reflections in mirrors and windows can be a bit difficult to see through, which makes cockpit view really difficult to use as a camera angel. It runs smooth with just some cases in frame drop, it’s not so much that it ruins the experience. It’s locked in on 30fps on console and runs in 60fps on PC. I guess this is a decision they have made to make it as stables as possible on consoles.
7/10
Gameplay
Spintires is a new experience when it comes to gameplay, it has been popular to make games in recent time that focuses on realistic gameplay and physics. And Spintires is one of them, that focuses on the environment and how it reacts to the vehicles. The ground reacts on the weight, speed and the weather. All this is a factor when driving on it and how easy it will be, and you will have to use a strategy when driving to manage to get through. The cars have their own personality and feels different from each other, and you will have to choose wisely what type of cars you will take with you. You can set up a “team” of cars before each mission, so you have to set it up after what you need to succeed. You have trucks, tractors and 4×4 and more to choose, and they have their own abilities. Trucks are great for transportation of resources, 4×4 cars are great to use in terrain and to help trucks when stuck and to repair, and tractors are used to lift wood and plowing. This makes the game deeper when you can’t just take whatever you want to use, but have to bring with you that can help you. All vehicles are fitted with a winch that you can use to help you, it can drag you or just hold you in place if you are in places it is a bit steep. A nice feature with the winch is that you also can attach it to other vehicles to drag each other, but also when attaching it to vehicles they will go in auto-drive. So you can take the hole team with you in a convoy, so you always have all the resources with you. I felt often I was more focused on driving from A to B and trying to not ruin my vehicle or not run out of fuel, that I completely forgot the objective. I really got drawn into the environment and when things didn’t go as planned I would be so focused on fixing it that I completely got lost in time, so often I would spend just hours on one mission without even completing a objective.
9/10
Controls
Controls are pretty fair use since it is about driving vehicles, but with some flaws. This is a game ported from PC to consoles, and they have managed to implement that pretty good. A nice feature I liked was when shifting gears you could use your right stick to change gears with just a press of the stick and push it in the direction of what type of gear you need. You can also put it in crawling gear and high rev gears, or just put it in automatic and don’t have to worry about it. Steering can be a bit difficult since there is no rebound on it, so you always have to make correction and it can be a bit slow, so often I would crash in places that is tight.
Controls are not complicated (which some PC Ported games have tendency to be) there is always a window in bottom corner that tells you what feature the buttons do. Camera can be problematic to control sometimes, it’s pretty flowy-ish so you always have to wobble it around to try to find the best angle to see from. It’s something you will be used too later, but it can be difficult sometimes.
7/10
Replay Value
Since Spintires is mission based you can always try again and again to get a higher score or to try out new vehicles. Or if you want to use new methods to complete the objectives or maybe get the bonus objectives. You also have challenge mode you can use time in, which can be great if you’re not having much time to play and main missions takes to long for you.
The best feature is the multiplayer where you and three other players can play together to complete objectives. You can save it and continue later where you left, but you can also free roam around. Multiplayer is the definitive mode to play since you can do everything you can do alone with others. It can make things easier but also harder since you don’t have control of all the cars and what they do. So it’s a game you can always play even when completed, since you have unlocked more to use or play on.
TIGA, the network for game developers and digital publishers, today announced the winner of 2017 TIGA Games Industry Awards. The public vote for the Game of the Year Award broke last year’s record to receive almost 97000 individual votes.
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said: “Congratulations to all of last night’s winners. At the largest TIGA Awards Ceremony so far we highlighted excellence in games and business, education and technology, diversity and creativity. I would like to offer huge congratulations to all of our winners and finalists, whose innovation, creativity and excellence is driving the games industry forward.”
The winners of The TIGA Games Industry Awards 2017 are:
Best Action and Adventure Game 2017: Ninja Theory Ltd: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Best Arcade Game 2017: Sumo Digital Ltd: Snake Pass Best Audio Design 2017: Space Ape Games: Fastlane: Road to Revenge Best Casual/Social Game 2017: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe: That’s You! Diversity Award 2017: Women In Games Best Educational Game 2017: Denki: Autonauts Creative and Heritage Award 2017: Billy Goat Entertainment Ltd: Her Majesty’s SPIFFING Best Game by a Small Studio 2017: Playtonic Games: Yooka-Laylee Best Puzzle Game 2017: Supermassive Games: Tumble VR Best Racing Game 2017: Codemasters: F1 2016 Best Role Playing Game 2017: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe: Horizon Zero Dawn Best Strategy Game 2017: Outplay Entertainment Ltd: Castle Creeps TD Best Visual Design 2017: Rebellion: Sniper Elite 4 Best Amazon Appstore Game 2017: Lockwood Publishing: Avakin Life Best Service Provider 2017: Aardvark Swift Best Art/Animation Supplier/Game Trailer Supplier 2017: Liquid Crimson Best Audio Services 2017: PitStop Productions Best Education Initiative and Talent Development 2017: Abertay University Best Educational Institution 2017: Norwich University of the Arts Best Engine, Middleware, Tools and Technology 2017: GameBench Best Large Independent Studio 2017: Rebellion Best Small Independent Studio 2017: PlayFusion Outstanding Leadership 2017: John Earner, Space Ape Games Best Publisher 2017: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Best Legal Services Supplier 2017: Stevens & Bolton LLP Best QA Provider 2017: Universally Speaking Ltd Best Recruitment Agency 2017: Amiqus Best Tax and Accountancy Organisation 2017: MMP Best Technical Innovation 2017: PlayFusion Person of the Year 2017: Mark Eyles Outstanding Franchise Development: Playground Games Game of the Year 2017: Playdemic, Golf Clash
Name: .hack//G.U. Last Recode Developer: Cyberconnect2 Publisher: Bandai Namco Games Release date: 03.11.2017 Platforms: PC and PlayStation 4 Reviewed on: PlayStation 4 Acquired:A copy of this game was provided from publisher for review purpose
.hack//G.U. Last Recode is the remaster of .hack//G.U., a single-player action RPG from the PlayStation 2. Included in the pack are; .hack//G.U. Vol.1//Rebirth, .hack//G.U. Vol.2//Reminisce, .hack//G.U. Vol.3//Redemption, and a brand new Vol.4// Reconnection, that happens after the events of volume 3. As with the original game, .hack//G.U. Last Recode simulates an MMORPG.
I must admit I never played the original game, only heard about it, as well as the whole anime and manga series. I do like mangas, animes, and MMORPG’s however, and with this basis I sat down with .hack//G.U.
Haseo
Story
The story focuses on Haseo, a PKK (player-killer-killer), who hunts a player called Tri-Edge, who defeated Haseo’s friend Shino and left her in a coma in real life. Haseo later comes in contacts with others who wants to stop Tri-Edge. However, the reason for Shino and other players falling into coma IRL, is a far worse problem.
I don’t mind the story at all, it just feel a bit weak and too hidden. I understand that some of dramatic sequences are less dramatic when translated, but I never quite understood why it was so important to catch the bad guys. I mean, I am used to MMORPGs not having the best stories, but I usually get why I am hunting down some guy, but here I never did.
5/10
Graphics
Unfortunately, the graphics are only so-so. The textures for the environment are not good at all. The original game was on the PS2, and the environmental textures still has that look. The characters are luckily a lot better looking though. They still have a bit of an unnatural way of running, but it’s not that big of a deal.
The cutscenes on the other hand, looks amazing! They’re not necessarily true to life, but they have a style and feel that is continuous throughout the game. Talking about the cutscenes, I want to mention the subtitles, whether or not you play the game in Japanese or English, I seriously suggest you have the subtitles turned on, because it has loads of funny writing that is true to how people chat on MMORPGs.
6/10
.hack//G.U Last Recode PC background
Gameplay
I found the gameplay to be the game’s best feature, with the computer screen for “real life”, where you can check anything from news, to forums, to emails, as well as going back into “The World”. Another very cool feature is the way you select what world to travel to from the main hub. This you do by combining three words, where the game makes a world from your choices. Über cool!
When you’re in a world, either to do a quest or to just whack monsters and gaining XP or going loot-hunting, the game acts pretty much as any other normal RPG. Even though the game felt quite like a button-mashing game in the beginning, I am glad to say I needed to get more tactical as the main story progressed, and I got access to harder enemies.
8/10
Controls
I honestly don’t have very much to say about the controls. It is pretty standard for an RPG, although it felt a bit weird to have X as the main attack button, and triangle as the menu button. The steering was a bit too sensitive for my liking, with Haseo often running around in circles when I didn’t have the joystick exactly straight forward.
5/10
Replay Value
I haven’t felt the need to replay the game, yet anyhow. That being said I played little else than the main quests, so I still have loads to do when it comes to sidequesting. I do doubt I will play it again though, as I don’t feel like the story is that good, and it’s not like it’s changing each playthrough. Another reason why I’m not going to replay it is the fact that it is a really long game. Even with me pretty much rushing through the game I used about 100 hours. Yes, you can reply to emails different ways, but it never felt like that had any consequences, so personally I am not going to play this through more than this once.
Games Done Quick released the schedule for Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 yesterday and it is full of good news.
Games Done Quick organizes speed run events two times a year with proceeds going to various charities. There is Awesome Games done Quick (AGDQ) in the winter and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) in the summer. At each event, passionate speed-runners play through their favorite game in as little time as possible for a whole week, all the while collecting donations for drives, bids and competitions.
Just yesterday, GDQ announced that the schedule for their next event: AGDQ 2018 is finalized. The schedule features old classics like the Mega Man and Sonic franchises, but also new games like Splatoon 2 and the grand finale: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
One controversial decision is the absence of Super Metroid. For several years the final game of the week of speed runs has been the SNES classic with the donation drive of «kill or save the animals» collecting tens of thousands of dollars. Polygon speculated that Metroid’s absence was due to the difficulty of the game and the lack of saving in speed runs. Having runners fail in the final hours of the marathon would be a bad look and an anticlimactic punctuation.
Night In The Woods: Weird Autumn Edition was announced earlier this week by developer Infinite Falls on the game’s twitter. Named after one of the songs from the original game, Weird Autumn Edition should be thought of as a «directors cut» according to the developer. The bonus content will be available as a free patch for people who own the game and included in all future purchases on all platforms from the 13th of December (with some parts coming to PS4 in January of 2018).
Night In The Woods is a 2D platforming/adventure game about a small American town, a handful of good friends and growing up (or not), released in February of 2017 after an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign and almost 4 years of development. The game was critically acclaimed for its writing and characters and is one of my favorite games of 2017.
The Weird Autumn Edition will contain «new weird, new crimes and old tales» according to the trailer. The «old tales» appear to refer to two older games in the same universe: Lost Constellation and Longest Night which flesh out the world of the game and will be included in this new edition. Both of these smaller games are available for pay-what-you-want on PC, but the Weird Autumn Edition will be the first time they are available on consoles.
Along with the announcement, Infinite Falls mentions release on «another console, which I am unable to mention for reasons, but you know what console I’m talking about.» Since the game is already out on Xbox One, PS4 and PC/Mac/Linux and a mobile release has been announced this strongly hints at a Nintendo Switch release by process of elimination.
I’m hyped, and if you didn’t play the game on launch you should do that and also get hyped!
The ever popular Football Manager series, is about to launch this year’s edition of the game, and among the new features this year is the possibility for newgens, players who are created by the game’s algorithm, to come out as gay.
“It doesn’t happen with any real life players because of course we don’t know who in real life is gay and who isn’t, and we didn’t want to wrongly be outing players.” – Miles Jacobson, studio director at Sports Interactive
However, there are some limits on the features for footballers from some leagues or nationalities due to the legal status of homosexuality in their respective countries. “If a player is from a country, or is playing in a league of a country, where it is illegal to come out, they will not come out in that country, so we’ve tried to be respectful,” said Jacobson.
Managers will be notified if a footballer at their club has come out as gay by a special news item that appears in their in-game inbox. The new feature will have other impacts on gameplay as well.
“It happens quite rarely,” said Jacobson. “But we believe if a player were to come out they wouldn’t get much trouble, and the clubs themselves would see a merchandise boost because you’d be having a different audience wanting to support that player. If you look at any time when someone has come out it does mean that there is support for them from people who might not have been as supportive in the past. The LGBT community is incredibly strong, and they do support each other because they know how difficult some of them have had it and how other people have made it easier.”
Football Manager 2018 is coming out on 10th of November, with the beta already available for pre-orderers.
