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No Straight Roads release date delayed, playable demo available now

30/6/2020

 
No-Straight-Roads

Sold Out and developer Metronomik have pushed back the release date for their musical-action title, No Straight Roads.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

The game, in which players attempt to overthrow an evil EDM empire as indie-rock duo Mayday and Zuke, was supposed to be out today but will instead be launching later this summer, on 25 August. It’s not all bad news, however, as a playable demo has been released on PC via the Epic Games Store, and you can also sample a few tracks from the game’s soundtrack through the mini-OST that’s been made available on various music streaming services.
Xbox One and Switch versions of the game were announced earlier this year, with the latter benefitting from a few platform exclusive features, including a three-player co-op mode and touchscreen functionality.

No Straight Roads will be available to purchase digitally from 25 August on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC. The game is also getting a physical release on all three consoles, though the Switch edition will be released later.

Disappointed by the delay? Let us know below.
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ENDED: Hotline Miami giveaway

29/6/2020

 
Hotline Miami Steam giveaway - Pass the Controller

Harry Salomia is our Hotline Miami giveaway winner!

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


The compulsive, stylish and ultra-violent Hotline Miami is up for grabs on Steam this week!

​
Dennaton Games' cult classic is immensely rewarding and incredibly trippy. From its open-ended story to the fever dream-like visuals, Hotline Miami is a tour de force in presentation. An award-winning soundtrack accompanies the hazy neon visuals, boasting pulsing electronic beats that you can't help but jam to.

​Hotline Miami recently made a cameo within another game - The Last of Us Part II. The NPC playing it sums up the experience pretty well: "Really hard... But really good. Got some great tunes too."

​If you're up to the challenge of brutalising goons with absolute precision (or else you'll end up dead), then enter for a chance to win via Gleam below. If you aren't drawn as our lucky winner, Hotline Miami is currently on sale for a paltry £1.74 in the Steam Summer Sale.

Good luck!
Hotline Miami giveaway
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Developer tweet suggests Oceanhorn 2 is coming to Switch

25/6/2020

 
Oceanhorn-2

Cornfox & Bros. have released a cryptic tweet hinting at a possible Switch version of their Zelda-inspired adventure title, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

The game, which launched last year as an Apple Arcade exclusive, is described as a “love letter” to games of the developers’ past, and features boss battles, puzzles and dungeons to explore. It’s set 1000 years before the events of the original Oceanhorn, which also started out life as a mobile game before eventually making its way onto PC and consoles, including on Switch, Xbox One and even the PS Vita.

It's been a long time since Hero took a holiday, and on August 11th, we're sending him off to Kyoto to relax and meet some friends. Rumor has it that they're planning a surprise – Let's wait and see! #Oceanhorn2 pic.twitter.com/leAFsbWWAl

— Cornfox & Bros. (@cornfox) June 23, 2020
As you can see in the above tweet from the developer, a ticket has been prepared for the game’s protagonist, Hero Arcadian, for a trip from the studio’s Helsinki home to Kyoto, which just happens to be the location of Nintendo’s headquarters, on 11 August.

It also mentions how Hero will be meeting some old friends who may be “planning a surprise.” Given the series’ inspiration and the fact the first game is already available on Nintendo’s hybrid console, a possible Oceanhorn 2 Switch announcement seems likely.

Of course, without official confirmation from either party, this is all just speculation for now. We’ll just have to wait until later this summer to know for sure.

Did you play the original game? Would you like to see Oceanhorn 2 on Switch?
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Marvel’s Avengers confirmed for Xbox Series X and PS5 with free upgrade for current-gen players

23/6/2020

 
Marvel's-Avengers

Square Enix have confirmed PS5 and Xbox Series X editions of their upcoming action-adventure game, Marvel’s Avengers.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

The next-gen editions are set to launch sometime in “holiday 2020,” with those who purchase the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 versions of the game getting a free upgrade to either platform. All progression will carry over, so players will be able to pick up right where they left off in whichever next-gen version they choose.
Square Enix also confirmed there will be cross-play between the two generations, so Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 users will be able to fully utilise the game’s online elements with their respective friends on Xbox One and PS4.

As for what improvements players will see in the next-gen editions, both will feature “extremely fast load times, boosted resolution and fidelity, improved texturing and armor destruction, ray tracing, and more,” while Square Enix also had this to say about the PS5 version:

“The PlayStation 5 experience will be seamless and dynamic, fully utilizing the ultra-high speed SSD, the PS5 DualSense advanced haptics, and immersive spatial audio. To fully customize their visual experience, PS5 will also provide players with their choice of Enhanced Graphics Mode or High Framerate mode.”

It’s not clear if similar features will also be available on the Xbox Series X, but more details about platform specific improvements – including for Stadia and PC - are set to be shared “at a later date” according to the press release.

Marvel’s Avengers
is out 4 September on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Stadia.

Will you be taking advantage of the free upgrade to a next-gen edition? Let us know below.
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ENDED: Kero Blaster giveaway

22/6/2020

 
Kero Blaster Steam giveaway - Pass the Controller

Millena Almeida is our lucky Kero Blaster giveaway winner!

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


"Ribbeting" retro adventure Kero Blaster, from the developers of Cave Story, is up for grabs on Steam.

​
Studio Pixel's 2D side-scroller stars a frog looking to repair some offline teleporters. In the role of said frog, you'll platform and shoot your way through classically-styled environments; along the way, you'll pick up plenty of new tools and put them to use by defeating a variety of monsters.

​If you're ready for a retro challenge, hop to it and enter for a chance to win via Gleam below. You can also grab Kero Blaster for just £6.99 on Steam.


While you wait to see who's drawn as our lucky winner, you might want to grab Pink Hour and Pink Heaven, a couple of free Kero Blaster spin-off minigames.

Good luck!
Kero Blaster giveaway
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DIRT 5 is coming to PC and current-gen consoles this October, next-gen version releasing later

18/6/2020

 
Dirt-5

Codemasters have revealed the release date for DIRT 5 as well as more details about the off-road racer’s career mode, which will star two of gaming’s most famous voice actors, Troy Baker and Nolan North.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

Baker will be voicing mentor and superstar racer, Alex ‘AJ’ Janiček, while North will play your rival and main antagonist of the campaign, Bruno Durand. The career mode will feature five chapters and multiple paths for players to choose from, allowing them to pick their preferred events as they build towards a final showdown with a chapter’s “highly competitive final challenge.” It sounds like it’ll be similar to the template Codemasters used in their GRID reboot, which we reviewed last year.
The campaign will also feature one off “Throwdown” challenges for players to take on and support local multiplayer for up to four players. Additional drivers will replace AI racers and even help with career progress by earning Stamps, which can then be used to unlock the aforementioned final challenges.

DIRT 5 is out 9 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. An Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version is also going to be released at some point, but no date has been set yet.

Share your thoughts on DIRT 5’s campaign news and possible next-gen release dates below or in the forums.
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Exo One brings gravity-defying exploration to PC later this year

17/6/2020

 
Exo-One

Australian indie developer Exbleative have released a new trailer for their “gravity-defying” exploration game, Exo One, in which you pilot a mysterious alien craft across strange planets.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

With no enemies or challenges to face, players are free to explore at their own pace, going as fast or as slow as they like. By using the craft’s multiple traversal modes and its control over gravity, players can glide across surfaces and fly through the air, building momentum as they go. In the trailer below you can see how a landscape’s contours can be used to create forward momentum and also what appears to be some special structures that provide quick speed boosts.
While the freedom to explore various worlds seems to be the main draw of the game, there is also said to be a “minimalist yet mysterious” narrative about humanity’s first “ill-fated” mission beyond our solar system.

Exo One is scheduled to launch on PC sometime this year. There’s no solid release date just yet, but there is a demo currently available on the game’s Steam page.

Let us know your thoughts on the game below or in the forums.
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Furi developer showcases five minutes of Haven gameplay footage

16/6/2020

 
Haven

The Game Bakers, best known for their neon boss-rush title Furi, have released some new gameplay footage of their next project, Haven, which is coming to PC and consoles later this year.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

In the video, we get to see how the two protagonists – Kay and Yu – explore the exotic world on which they’re trapped by gliding around cleaning up a nasty red goo called ‘rust,’ collecting crafting materials as they do that can then be used to upgrade their ship. Haven can be played with drop in/drop out co-op or entirely solo, with one player controlling both Yu and Kay in fights.
While the fixed positions of battles appear to indicate a turn-based combat system, fights are actually said to be real-time, with players able to use abilities from each character to mitigate damage and deal out attacks against infected local fauna. Successfully winning an encounter cleanses said creatures of their infection.

We also got a look at some dialogue options and saw more of Yu and Kay’s upgradeable ship that serves as a home base, where it looks like players can craft meals and freely move the camera to explore the ship’s interior.


Haven
is out sometime this year on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One, where it’ll also be available through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

What do you think of the latest trailer? Let us know below.

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Star Wars: Squadrons officially unveiled, VR support confirmed for PS4 and PC

15/6/2020

 
Star-Wars-Squadrons

Following last week’s premature reveal via the Microsoft Store, EA have officially unveiled Star Wars: Squadrons, a first-person title that focuses on starfighter combat.

by Liam Andrews
Picture

@pass_controller

Developed by EA Motive, the studio behind Battlefront 2’s single-player campaign, Star Wars Squadrons is set during the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War (read: original trilogy era) and sees players representing either Imperials or the New Republic in iconic craft such as the X-wing and Tie fighter. The game will feature strategic 5v5 multiplayer skirmishes in which players can “tip the scales of monumental fleet battles.”
Players will be able to “plan every skirmish” in a briefing room before joining an “ever evolving battlefield,” with Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan confirmed as some of the new locations they’ll be visiting.

As well as a multiplayer element, Star Wars: Squadrons will also include a “thrilling” single-player campaign set just after the destruction of the second Death Star. Players will be able experience the campaign from alternate perspectives by representing both the New Republic and Imperial factions via two customisable pilots. The narrative will feature new characters and “some cameos from familiar faces.”

It sounds like we’ll be taking a more hands-on approach with our fighters, with players able to “divert power between systems” and upgrade their ships with new weapons and components earned entirely via in-game rewards.

EA also confirmed that the entire game will be playable in virtual reality via PC VR and PS VR, with cross-play enabled between the two platforms.

“We created this game for every Star Wars fan who has ever dreamt about soaring across the galaxy in their favorite starfighter,” said Ian Frazier, Creative Director, Motive Studios.

“Through the collaboration of the teams at Motive and Lucasfilm, we’ve been able to create a high-fidelity starfighter experience with an authentic storyline that invites Star Wars fans to explore never-before-seen corners of the galaxy in their own ship. We’re excited to show all this in action this week at EA Play Live.”

Star Wars: Squadrons
is out 2 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via Origin PC and the Epic Games Store.

What do you think of the game? Let us know below or over in the forums.
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ENDED: Scribblenauts Unlimited giveaway

15/6/2020

 
Scribblenauts Unlimited Steam giveaway - Pass the Controller

Congratulations to our Scribblenauts Unlimited giveaway winner, Julian Roos!

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Creative puzzle adventure Scribblenauts Unlimited is up for grabs on Steam in this week’s giveaway.

​
Reprise the role of Maxwell and explore an open world stuffed with intriguing puzzles. Each problem has multiple solutions and which you ultimately come up with depends on your creativity and knowledge of language. By writing words in your magical notepad, it’s possible to summon a massive variety of real-world objects and also create all-new ones.

Enter via Gleam below if you’re capable of concocting creative solutions to conquer complex conundrums. You can also purchase Scribblenauts Unlimited for £14.99 on Steam.

Good luck!
Scribblenauts Unlimited giveaway
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