 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.
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.  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).
 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...  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 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 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...  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...  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...  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...  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...  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.
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.  If there’s one publisher who can be relied upon to bring fun and energy to proceedings at E3, it’s Ubisoft. Settle in as we take you through the highlights.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 is starting to look like a game After its well-hyped reveal last year, your favourite anthropomorphic animals are back to offer a little more than just a CGI trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2 this time around. The language remains utter filth, but the characters and action endearing, as we got talked through the world. Ubisoft are making an effort to get the community involved too, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Hit Record organisation being trotted out to coordinate content like music, art and game design ideas from the community. No release date just yet, so we’ll have to be patient and write a song or two in the meantime. Skull and Bones has so many cannonballs - SO MANY After Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag hit the high seas there were rumours about spinning off its sailing mechanic into a standalone pirate game. After its reveal last year, we now have a better idea of how pirate-'em-up Skull and Bones will actually play. Ships have special abilities (like firing EIGHT cannonballs in a single shot), as well as different strengths and an awful lot of on-screen prompts, lines and dials to help you navigate the treacherous waters. The world seems to be playing the old ‘living, breathing’ tune quite loudly and there’s plenty of customisation options too. A nice touch was the ability to disguise your ship as another faction to stay undetected during a mission. Setting sail next year. Elijah Wood makes it weird in Transference The second celeb to hit the stage was none other than Frodo Baggins himself, showing off his VR experience, which combines live action with CGI to explore a dark, corrupted mind. There’s sinister music abound and worrying actions from a father towards his son, but what does it all mean? Prepare for jump scares this autumn. Nintendo continues its stealth Ubisoft takeover A new DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle sees Donkey Kong take centre stage and introduces a bunch of new characters and enemy types. To celebrate DK’s arrival, the audience were even treated to a live musical performance accompanying the gameplay trailer. There was also a Nintendo nugget hidden away inside space adventure Starlink: Battle For Atlas, which you can see in the above trailer. The game has a Skylanders-style toys to life component to change your ship upgrades on the fly and, for the Nintendo Switch version only, that might include the Star Fox’s team, led by a Fox McCloud that looks more realistic than ever before. You’ll have to pick up the game on 16 October for some space exploration. Scripted banter detected in The Division 2 It wouldn’t be a Ubisoft show without a bit of scripted banter, and this time a team of Division agents explore a lush garden in Washington in the game’s sequel. There’s a run through of how the narrative progresses, picking up side quests as you go, but it seems like pretty standard fare. The most exciting moment is a showdown at the downed Air Force One, which redefines how spongey an enemy can be. Will the final product impress? Look out for a review around 15 March 2019. Who got their Origins in my Assassin’s Creed Odyssey? The return of the Assassin’s Creed franchise last year after a brief hiatus was met with success, and so it follows that Ubisoft would want to get back onto their game-per-year release schedule. So, after an unceremonious leak, we have Odyssey, which sees you play as one of two would-be Spartans (either male or female) in Ancient Greece during the time when Sparta and Athens weren’t getting along too well. Much of the actual gameplay seems very reminiscent of Origins, making us worry the series is already repeating past mistakes, but Ubisoft are also leaning into the RPG elements a bit more this time around, adding dialogue options that can alter the story as well as romanceable characters for greater player choice. Expect plenty of back-stabbing on 5 October 2018. What was your highlight? Do you also hope Yves Guillemot was in that panda costume? Let us know in the forums, and don't forget to comment and check out the show in full below.  Opening with a glimpse into the lives of those that work to produce some of our favourite games, Bethesda - the highest rated publisher on Metacritic - put in a traditionally strong showing with a look at the remainder of the year and, in a first, what lies beyond. If you can’t commit to catching up on the feature-length presentation, don’t worry, as we’ve got the highlights right here.
DOOM Eternal is everything we want from a sequel 2016’s DOOM was a real treat, which left fans with a list of demands for any potential sequel. Eternal looks set to deliver on all fronts, boasting more of the heavy metal ultraviolence we know and love, carried out at the hands of a more powerful Doom Marine, against double the number of demons. Throw in a Hell on Earth locale and we can’t wait to see more at QuakeCon in August. There’s tons of Elder Scrolls content on the way (including VI) Yes, the time was finally right for Bethesda to bare all and confirm that The Elder Scrolls VI is indeed on the horizon. All we got at this stage are a few environmental hints as to the region we might be exploring, though not likely anytime soon, with a distant 2020 release seemingly on the books. Regardless, that was enough to set the internet alight. In other news from Tamriel, CCG The Elder Scrolls: Legends is relaunching across Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch; The Elder Scrolls: Online is getting a couple of new expansions in Wolfhunter and Mirkmire, which focus on werewolves and revisiting Black Marsh respectively; while The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a fully fledged and VR compatible mobile RPG, featuring new city building elements and also set to make its way to consoles and PC. Starfield is a new sci-fi IP from Bethesda Game Studios Details on the first new franchise from Todd Howard and his team in 25 years are currently thin on the ground, though it’s reasonable to speculate it’ll launch next year as the fresh luncheon meat sandwiched between November’s Fallout 76 (more on that shortly) and The Elder Scrolls VI. With Mass Effect having fallen from grace, Starfield might just be the space-faring RPG gamers have been clamouring for. Post-launch support continues for Bethesda’s current crop of games The Elder Scrolls: Legends and Online weren’t the only existing games to get some time in the spotlight, as a few little surprises were made available to download right then and there. Free-to-play game Fallout Shelter was launched on PS4 and Switch, Quake Champions was made free for the duration of the week - so grab it while you can - and complementary Prey DLC added Story, Survival and New Game + modes to change how you interact with the campaign. Separate to that, Prey will also receive the roguelike-like Mooncrash mode and an asymmetrical multiplayer add-on in which one person battles four player-controlled mimics, with the option to ‘enjoy’ the many inevitable jumpscares through the medium of VR. They aren’t stopping the support there, with standalone sibling experiences in the works Even more Prey is on the way in the form of a standalone VR experience, provided you’ve recovered from the antics of those devious mimics, while Wolfenstein is also set to get the VR spinoff treatment. Not only that, but Wolfenstein: Youngblood is to Wolfenstein II what The Old Blood was to the original reboot. That’s a standalone expansion, if you don’t follow, only this time with added co-op, as Youngblood casts you as BJ Blazkowicz’ twin daughters once they’re all grown up. Blasting through with a friend looks set to be raucous fun! Fallout 76 is, in fact, an online survival game Wolfenstein and Prey aren’t the only Bethesda titles adding multiplayer to their repertoire, as the rumours of Fallout 76 being an online only survival game were finally confirmed. Met with more initial adulation than we’d have expected, just like with RAGE 2 earlier in the presser, any major worries were put to bed with a substantial gameplay feature. A prequel set in West Virginia, USA, 76’s world is four times bigger than that of Fallout 4, but hopefully just as dense. You can wander the wasteland solo, though it’s in your best interest to cooperate with friendly players to build defences and utilities that’ll help you through the ‘softcore’ survival sim, complete with nuclear warfare. Whilst being able to nuke troublesome players off the face of the Earth is unquestionably cool, we’re mostly left wondering whether the integral V.A.T.S. system will feature. There’s no sign of it yet, but we’re sure to know by the time the game releases on 14 November. That’s it from Bethesda for another year; what did you think of their showing? Let us know on the forums or in the comments below, and stay tuned to Pass the Controller for plenty more coverage of E3 2018. If you want to watch Bethesda’s conference in full, skip to around the 1 hour 23 minute mark and enjoy!  The first episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season is set to launch later this summer.
PS4 and Xbox One users who pre-order the game from 8 June onwards will receive immediate access to the The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series Collection which features all 19 episodes that make up the entirety of the series to date.
Here’s some more info on the final season:
The opening episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season launches 14 August on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. A Switch version is said to be releasing sometime later in the year. Looking forward to the final season? Let us know below.  New leaks suggest Epic’s Fortnite could be coming to Switch in some form.
 More recently a Resetera post showed the Korean Games Ratings Board has rated Fortnite for Switch, seemingly all but confirming the game’s imminent arrival on Nintendo’s hybrid console.
While there’s no specific mention of whether the Switch version includes the Battle Royale experience alongside the original (and oft overlooked) Save the World PvE mode, considering the former’s huge popularity there seems little chance it won’t be included. Would you like to see Fortnite on Switch? Let us know below. Indie news round-up11/4/2018  Get release dates, trailers and details on some of the indie games heading your way in the coming months.
For extra immersion, Downward Spiral also features support for PS VR, Oculus Touch, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality. It launches sometime this spring on PC and PS4. Keep an eye out for our thoughts on DSHS in the coming months. Rogue Aces Releasing tomorrow on PS4 and PS Vita (complete with Cross-Buy and Cross-Save functionality), as well as Nintendo Switch, Rogue Aces is a rogue-lite aerial combat game with a “colourful 1940s” style. Featuring 100 procedurally generated levels that increase in difficulty, players must turn the tide of war by capturing enemy bases and eliminating their armies while managing their own fuel supplies and aircraft repairs. You can read our verdict on the game soon, as we’ll be taking it for one of our famous Quickies. PHOGS! Bit Loom and Coatsink are collaborating to bring you PHOGS!, an adventure physics-puzzler set in the “vivid, colourful world” known as the Phoggyverse and starring two dogs joined at the middle. Their (its?) “gelatinous mid-section” is what allows players to solve puzzles together via a cooperative control scheme inspired by the excellent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which means, just like Brothers, the game can also be played solo. This will release sometime in 2019 across multiple platforms, but we’ll hopefully be going hands-on with the game this weekend at EGX Rezzed. Steel Rats Another we’ll be looking to play at Rezzed, Steel Rats is a 2.5D “stunt combat game” coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC later this year. You can see some of the game’s motorbike-based action below in the brand-new gameplay reveal. There’s definitely a Trials meets Biker Mice from Mars vibe going on, which is no bad thing. City of Brass A first-person rogue-lite adventure inspired by Arabian Nights, City of Brass is developed by Uppercut Games, a studio made up of former BioShock developers. The goal is to make your way deep into the City of Brass to hunt for treasure, dodging traps and taking on enemies with your scimitar and lash and escaping before time runs out. The game has been available via Steam Early Access since last September and has seen a positive initial response, but is now set for final release on Xbox One and PS4 next month. We’ll be bringing you our thoughts on City of Brass when it launches on 4 May. Let us know your thoughts of any of these titles below or over in the forums.
 Snake Pass, the puzzle-platformer from Sumo Digital, is getting a new time trial mode in celebration of the game’s one-year anniversary.
“We could not think of a better way of passing on our thanks to all of our fans, who have played Snake Pass over the last year”, said Seb Liese, creator of Snake Pass.
“The Arcade Mode Pack, introduces a new way to play, as you compete with friends across global leaderboards to see who can be the world's slickest slitherer!” To further mark the occasion, Snake Pass is currently discounted by 50% on the Nintendo Switch eShop, Xbox One Store and Steam from today until 10 April. A similar offer will be available on the PlayStation Store at a slightly later date. Will the new game mode see you heading back for more Snake Pass? Let us know below.  Crazy Monkey Studios have announced a sequel to their side-scrolling-shoot-‘em-up Guns, Gore & Cannoli, launching first on Steam next month.
The sequel will feature a new weapon wheel, improved player mobility and full 360° aiming that lets you “easily shoot everything that moves”, and also sees online multiplayer introduced, something that was lacking from the original game, with up to four players supported.
Local multiplayer also returns, again with four players able to team up for co-operative action. Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 is out 2 March on Steam, with Xbox One, PS4 and Switch versions said to be arriving “in the coming months”. Looking forward to more mob-based mayhem? Let us know below. |
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