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Animal Crossing-inspired Castaway Paradise launches on Xbox One and PS4 next month

27/6/2018

 
Castaway-Paradise

Stolen Couch Games’ colourful life simulator, Castaway Paradise, is coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this summer, having previously been released on Steam and mobile devices.

by Liam Andrews
Picture
@pass_controller

Castaway Paradise takes a hefty dose of inspiration from the Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon franchises. Featuring a tropical island as a setting, players can aid the locals in quests, grow crops, spend time fishing or bug catching, as well as customise the appearance of the island, their homes and their outfits.
The game also has seasonal events, such as Christmas and Halloween, which will be reflected in the weather and local festivities, with players able to help residents decorate their homes and the island.

Castaway Paradise
comes to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on 31 July, but will remain notably absent from Nintendo‘s hybrid system.

Let us know your thoughts on the console-bound life simulator below or in the forums.

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Kingdom Come Deliverance hardcore mode now available

26/6/2018

 
Kingdom-Come-Deliverance

Warhorse Studios have released a new difficulty mode for their medieval RPG, Kingdom Come Deliverance.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

The free update for all platforms does away with a few assist features to make the game, which was already grounded in realism, that bit more immersive. When playing in hardcore mode, players are no longer able to fast travel and will have to rely on the position of the sun and time of day for navigation. Combat has also been made deadlier, with strikes said to have a more realistic impact.
Autosaves have been done away with and, on top of that, two negative perks must be chosen from the below roster that will remain active for the entire duration of any given hardcore playthrough.
​​​​​
  • Nightmares: Every time you wake up you are shaken from your nightmare and suffer a short-term debuff. Sleeping becomes more of a "tactical" choice.
  • Claustrophobic: When you close your helmet visor, your attack lowers. You have to choose between better protection or higher attack.
  • Hemophilia: You bleed more which makes taking hits in combat riskier.
  • Numbskull: Lowers your XP gain. A perfect perk for players who thought the vanilla skill progression was too fast and felt overpowered in the late game. It's more work to out level your opponents with this perk.
  • Shakes: For true sadists. Makes aiming a bow and picking pockets and locks harder.
  • Consumption: Your stamina regenerates slower. Combat is more challenging and requires thinking ahead of each strike.
  • Tapeworm: You get hungry faster, and since eating from pots around the world is no longer such a viable option, this makes the survival element even more prominent.
  • Sonambulant: Fun perk. There is a slight chance you will wake up somewhere else than where you fell asleep. Provides quite a challenge when you wake up in an unknown place and can't see your position on the map. Very rarely you can also sleepwalk your place to some secret areas.
  • Brittle Bones: You must be careful while running down cliffs and riding a horse. Falls are more dangerous.

You can read the complete list of changes in hardcore mode here.

Warhorse Studios also released a new teaser trailer for the upcoming From the Ashes DLC, which you can see above. Releasing sometime next month, From the Ashes gives players the opportunity to build and rule a village from the ground up.

Let us know your thoughts on Kingdom Come’s punishing new difficulty mode below or over in the forums. ​
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ENDED: Slime-san giveaway

25/6/2018

 
Slime-san Steam giveaway header - Pass the Controller

This week’s giveaway winner is Patrón Roly (@PatronRoly)!

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


A Steam key for Slime-san - the platformer that tasks you, a sentient blob, with escaping a giant worm’s belly - is up for grabs in the latest of our weekly giveaways!

​
Boasting 100+ challenging levels and a stomach-based city to explore, this bizarre little gem has a strikingly unique colour palette to match its moderately grotesque, retro throwback aesthetic. These features no doubt helped Slime-san stand out in a crowded space and secure a positive critical and commercial reception.

If you’re jiggling with excitement at the thought of slip-sliding your way through the game, then you’ll want to enter for a chance to win via the Gleam widget below. Come curtains on Friday night, if you aren’t favoured by lady luck, you can currently purchase Slime-san for just £6.83 in the Steam Summer Sale. If you’re more of a console gamer, you can grab it for £10 on Switch, the hot-off-the-press Xbox One version for a launch discount of £9.59, or keep an eye out for the PS4 version launching Tuesday 26 June.

Until then, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you!
Slime-san Steam giveaway banner - Pass the Controller
Slime-san giveaway
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Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-order bonuses and special editions detailed

21/6/2018

 
Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-order bonuses - Pass the Controller

Rockstar have revealed the extras that can be picked up when pre-ordering Red Dead Redemption 2, and given us info on the Special Edition, Ultimate Edition and Collector's Box.

by Chris Brand
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@pass_controller

All pre-orders will entitle players to a helping hand in the single player campaign, with The Outlaw Survival Kit (containing key supplies to make life easier, including items which replenish Health and Dead Eye) and War Horse - an upgraded steed with increased courage and stamina.
Those who pre-order digitally (and by 31 July) via the Xbox Store or PlayStation Store will also receive a treasure map which points the way to secret buried riches, and a cash bonus for the story mode, enough to outfit Morgan with a weapon, some food, and a handful of useful items and ammo.

There's even more incentive for
GTA Online players, as all digital pre-orders from either store come with an immediate infusion of GTA$. Details can be found on Rockstar Newswire.

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If the vanilla Red Dead Redemption 2 package isn't tempting you, the Special Edition grants access to exclusive story mode content, including:

  • 2 new missions (a bank robbery and gang hideout)
  • A Dappled Black Thoroughbred horse
  • An Eagle Talon Talisman and Iguana Scale Medallion (which can be equipped to provide a duration bonus to Morgan's environmental awareness skill, and reduced damage whilst on horseback, respectively)
  • The Nuevo Paraiso Gunslinger outfit
  • Free access to 3 additional weapons at in-game gunsmiths (Volcanic Pistol, Pump Action Shotgun and Lancaster Varmint Rifle)

That's all topped off with an assortment of gameplay boosts, cash bonuses and discounts, offering increased rewards from robbery missions, better prices when selling animal carcasses, discounts on all upgrades to the Van der Linde gang's camp, and core stat boosts to Arthur's Health, Stamina and Dead Eye.
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The Ultimate Edition contains everything from the Special Edition, along with some online goodies. With this version, your online character will receive 2 exclusive outfits, a Black Chestnut Thoroughbred and High Plains Cutting Saddle, free access to the Survivor theme for your personal camp, the Volcanic Pistol, Pump Action Shotgun and Lancaster Varmint Rifle, along with rank bonuses allowing you to hit level 25 a little faster.
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The Collector's Box contains a bunch of real world items but, sadly, doesn't include a copy of the game. Inside the Metal Tithing Box you'll find:

  • Collectible Challenge Coin
  • 100-piece double sided jigsaw puzzle
  • Six Shooter Bandana
  • Treasure Map
  • Pin Set
  • Playing Cards
  • Wheeler, Rawson and Co. Catalogue replica
  • 12 Cigarette Cards

The Collector's Box is available from the Rockstar Warehouse and select retailers.

Red Dead Redemption 2 releases 26 October on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Have any of those editions caught your eye? Let us know below or over in the forums.
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Swords & Soldiers II is coming to PS4 and Steam later this year

21/6/2018

 
Swords-&-Soldiers-II-Shawarmegeddon

Ronimo Games, best known for their side-scrolling MOBA Awesomenauts Assemble, are bringing Swords & Soldiers II to PlayStation 4 and Steam this September.

by Liam Andrews
Picture
@pass_controller

The real-time strategy game was originally released on the Wii U back in 2015 as an exclusive, and features similar 2D, side-scrolling action to the aforementioned Awesomenauts. This latest version, dubbed Swords & Soldiers II Shawarmegeddon, arrives on PS4 and Steam with a few new features.
These include the addition of online multiplayer, new maps, achievements and gameplay tweaks, plus improvements to the game’s light-hearted campaign, in which players will "face off against Blackbeard, chase a mysterious magical lamp around the world, and follow a trail of missing sheep."

​Ronimo are currently running a Kickstarter campaign in the run up to the game’s launch, with players able to help the team add new gameplay and cosmetic content with their support.

Swords & Soldiers II Shawarmegeddon is scheduled to launch sometime this September on PS4 and Steam and will cost $19.99 (or regional equivalent.)
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Warhammer: Vermintide 2 coming to Xbox One next month, play the beta now

21/6/2018

 
Warhammer-Vermintide-II

Fatshark have revealed the release date for the Xbox One version of their coop brawler, Warhammer: Vermintide 2.

by Liam Andrews
Picture
@pass_controller

As of next month, Xbox One users can look forward to teaming up and taking it the Skaven and Chaos with the series' signature mix of brutal first-person melee and ranged combat. However, if you can’t wait till then, you can jump into the beta right now via the Xbox Insider Program. The game will also feature 4k support for Xbox One X users.
The standard edition of Vermintide 2 will be available via Xbox Game Pass from day one, with subscribers able to download and play the entirety of the game from launch.

​“After the huge success with the release of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 on PC, we are happy and excited to bring the game to Xbox One. We can’t wait to stick it to the Skaven and Chaos on another platform,” says Martin Wahlund, CEO at Fatshark.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is out 11 July on Xbox One and is available now on Steam. There's no word on when the PS4 version will be released, but we'll keep you posted.

Are you looking forward to this arriving on Xbox One? Let us know below.

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Watch 7 minutes of new Strange Brigade gameplay footage

18/6/2018

 
Strange-Brigade

Rebellion have released some brand-new gameplay footage of their upcoming co-op shooter, Strange Brigade.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

In the video, Lead Designer Steve Bristow and Studio Design Lead Ben Fisher take us through some of the game’s core mechanics, including a look at the progression system, level exploration and some of the enemy types players will be going up against, all set to the backdrop of a classic 30’s/40’s matinee adventure.
Campaign levels, which can be played either solo or with up to three other friends, offer players various ways to approach the game.

​At times players will be able to split up and take alternate routes, with some pathways featuring combat heavy sections while others focus on puzzles.

Rebellion are also trying to encourage repeat visits to levels in the form of multiple hidden puzzles, some of which require teamwork to solve.

“What were hoping to see is people repeatedly playing these levels and discovering whole new areas that they missed the first time round,” said Bristow.

Rewards for heading off the beaten path and completing puzzles include relics, a complete set of which allows players to unlock amulet powers, granting new special attacks.

Strange Brigade
is out 28 August on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Let us know your thoughts on the latest gameplay footage below or in the forums.
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ENDED: Rivals of Aether giveaway

18/6/2018

 
Rivals of Aether Steam giveaway header - Pass the Controller

Congratulations to Charles Xu (@CharioSmash), who was randomly drawn as our winner!

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


We’re putting a Steam key for Rivals of Aether, the retro-styled multiplayer brawler that’s heavily inspired by Smash, up for grabs in our giveaway this week.

​
Nintendo’s endless Super Smash Bros. Ultimate chatter during their E3 Direct made us think about the incredible task that Dan Fornace faced (and continues to face) in pretty much single-handedly developing and supporting Rivals of Aether. There may be fewer characters and stages to balance, but what’s included is exactly that: beautifully balanced to offer up an experience comparable to its inspiration on a smaller scale.

If you’re looking for a frantic-but-tactical brawler on PC, then look no further, register entry via Gleam below and keep your fingers crossed. If you aren’t drawn as the winner, or you’d rather play on console, you can grab the game for £10.99 on Steam and £11.99 on Xbox One.

Until then, best of luck!
Rivals of Aether Steam giveaway banner - Pass the Controller
Rivals of Aether giveaway
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E3 2018: Your ultimate PTC catch-up Guide

14/6/2018

 
E3 2018 logo

The biggest gaming event of the year has just about wrapped up, and there's been an awful lot going on. We've had press conferences from all the major publishers and platform holders, heard about hundreds of upcoming games and watched maybe thousands of trailers (well, quite a few anyway).

by Team PTC
Picture

​@pass_controller

With that in mind, we've been doing roundups of the biggest conferences so you can catch up with all the things you need to know.

Where are these carefully crafted buckets of excitement we hear you ask? Well, you've come to the right place as we've linked them all below for your perusal.

What was your highlight from E3? What was the biggest disappointment? Leave us a comment or get chatting in the forums.
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Xbox

Microsoft boasted it had brought 50 games along and it was, generally, a very good showing for the company. One highlight was the purchase of four studios (including previous PlayStation collaborator, Ninja Theory) and the creation of a fifth known as The Initiative. Plus there were announcements and reveals including Halo, Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077...

Sony
PlayStation

​Sony's PlayStation E3 event may have been a little subdued compared to other years, with only four previously announced exclusive titles going under the spotlight, but that didn't stop what we saw from being any less impressive. The likes of The Last of Us: Part II, Death Stranding and the soon to be released Spider-Man continue to awe, while we also got a first look at the highly anticipated Resident Evil 2 remake...


Nintendo
Nintendo

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate dominated the Nintendo showcase, running through in detail the changes to this iteration in the long-running series, which features every single fighter from past games and one or two new ones for good measure. There were also reminders of all the ports the Switch will be enjoying this summer and a new Mario Party called - wait for it - Super Mario Party...

Bethesda
Bethesda

Hitting their stride right away, Bethesda had a lot to tell us in their show, including more from Todd Howard about Fallout 76, particularly the fact that it was an online, generally multiplayer experience compared to previous Fallout titles. There were also some new games including Wolfenstein Youngblood, new content for Prey and Skyrim available on yet more devices, including Amazon Alexa, although we're pretty sure they were joking...

Nintendo
Ubisoft

Bringing the fun and weirdness as always, Ubisoft kicked off the show with a dancing panda, because why not? There was a deeper look at The Division 2, set in Washington DC, Beyond Good & Evil 2, which is looking more and more like an actual game, and Skull and Bones, which is as piratey as you might expect. We also visited Ancient Greece to meet the protagonists from the recently leaked Assassin's Creed Odyssey...

Nintendo
EA

First out the gate, but with relatively little to show for it, EA's Play event did feature a frank admission from the DICE team about how Battlefront 2 turned out and was received by fans. There were the usual sports updates - of course - as well as some hype for Battlefield V. The return of Unravel's Yarny was a pleasant surprise though, and Anthem looks like it has potential, if the BioWare team can stick the landing...

Nintendo
Square Enix

The shortest presentation of the week, Square Enix showed off gameplay from Shadow of the Tomb Raider for the first time, as well as a trailer (which we'd already seen in the Xbox conference...) for the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3. Elsewhere there were details on what changes we can expect in Just Cause 4, as well as a crossover from Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter...

Nintendo
PC Gaming

This year's PC Gaming Show was almost as prolific as Microsoft's Xbox event, with 30 games shown off in just 90 minutes. Highlights included a closer look at Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season and Stormland, a AAA virtual reality title from Imsoniac Games where you play as an android gardener trying to save their friends and stop the lush, tropical world they inhabit from being overrun...

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A number of things you need to know from Nintendo’s E3 Direct | E3 2018

13/6/2018

 
Nintendo-Direct-E3-2018

Always a company to go against the norm, they’ve been delivering their E3 showcase as a video rather than a stage show for a few years now, and this year was no exception. Without a puppet in sight, read on for a handful of highlights from Nintendo’s E3 Direct.

by James Michael Parry
Picture
@pass_controller

Smash Bros. Ultimate has ALL of the characters
If you’ve ever played Super Smash Bros., you’ll know the variety of the characters on its roster is part of the appeal. The party-friendly beat-em-up has been endlessly successful thanks to both its simplicity and the fun of mashing up characters from different franchises together - and that’s something Nintendo is holding onto for this iteration. In its 25-minute (!) teardown, we find out about tweaks to gameplay down to individual characters, amiibo compatibility and more support trophies. The endless character reveal may have given some of us goosebumps, but did we need to spend all that time on one game, Ninty? Ready your smash for release on 7 December 2018.
Fortnite is now literally everywhere
In a move that surprised next to no one, worldwide phenomenon Fortnite is now available to play on Nintendo Switch, and you can even carry over your items from other versions - unless you’ve been playing on PS4, then your account is locked and won’t sync... oops. The game itself is as colourful and over-the-top as ever and we can predict some Nintendo-specific cosmetics being introduced in the future. Want to jump out of the battle bus right away? Good news, the game is available to download (for free) right now.
Mario Party comes to Switch as Super Mario Party
If you’re noticing a theme of unsurprising announcements forming, then you’ve cottoned on to Nintendo’s E3 strategy for this year (and, arguably, every year), as Mario Party coming to Switch is such a no brainer that we’re surprised it’s taken this long. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait much longer for your fix of ridiculous and addictive minigames, as the title drops on 5 October 2018.
Fire Emblem gets tactical
Looking like a combination of Dynasty Warriors, XCOM and the series itself, Fire Emblem: Three Houses looks to be a mixture of thoughtfulness and chaotic combat as you command forces as well as getting into the fray yourself.
A rich anime visual treatment, complete with classic JRPG text-based conversations, gives the game a clear sense of style and presentation and might prove to be more accessible than some of the other more traditional games in the genre. The adventure begins in spring 2019.
Stick the oven on - it’s Overcooked 2
While it’s not exclusive to Nintendo, fans will be pleased to hear that the sequel to the frantic cook-em-up Overcooked is coming to the Switch. New features include the ability to throw food between players and there are new chefs, kitchens and recipes to get stuck into. There’s not long to wait until you can get back into the kitchen either, as the game is open for business on 7 August 2018.
A whole host of games… you may have already played elsewhere
The fact that a lot of games are ported to the Switch is well-known, but the sheer number of games we thought must have already been released on the system (Wolfenstein II, anyone?) was quite staggering. Still, there are some quality titles to look forward to, if you’ve been waiting to be able to play them easily on the go. Twenty-five games, ports and expansions were highlighted in the montage, including first party games we already knew about like Mario Tennis Aces. But when will we have enough time to play them all?

Phew, that’s the last of the press conferences from E3 2018 - can you Adam and Eve it? What’s been your highlight from  all the excitement of the past few days? Leave us a comment below or in the forums, and if you’d like to check out the Nintendo show in full, then you’re in luck, as there’s a video down there waiting for you.
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