 MecurySteam have released the latest character for their free-to-play asymmetrical multiplayer title, Spacelords.
In the trailer we get to see Sööma’s ranged and melee attacks, as well as what looks like her special healing ability. “It was a fascinating endeavor working on a character like Sööma,” said Stefanie Joosten. “When MercurySteam approached me with the idea of working on a new Raider for Spacelords, Sööma was just a piece of concept art, and developing that concept into a full character, with her own unique personality and ethos, is a very rewarding experience indeed.” “Developing a new character is always a complex subject,” added Game Director Enric Álvarez, who we chatted with last year about the inspiration behind the game. “The need to create a well-adjusted and fun new addition to a Free to Play game like Spacelords needs to be balanced with an attractive design and likeability of the character. Stefanie’s natural charisma and talent contributed to a smoother and enjoyable creative process.” Before it became a free-to-play title, Spacelords was previously known as Raiders of the Broken Planet and featured a number of premium campaigns that could be purchased individually, two of which - Hades Betrayal and Wardog Fury - we reviewed last year. You can see the latter campaign in action in our let’s play below, in which James, Sam and myself attempt to destroy some rather grotesque barges. If that leaves you wanting more, you can watch the dramatic conclusion here. What do you think of Sööma? Let us know below or in the forums.
 The FPS had its name changed following the (somewhat predictable) threat of legal action from renowned metal band Iron Maiden.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to rename our first-person-shooter “Ion Maiden” to “Ion Fury,”” said Mike Nielsen, CEO of 3D Realms.
“A lot of thought went into this, but most importantly it would be a disservice to our loyal fanbase and the fantastic developers, to drag out a long lawsuit. The amazing gameplay, interactivity and pure fun, is what makes Ion Fury a great game. Not the title.” Ion Fury is a retro-styled shooter inspired by classic 90s titles such as Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior and Blood. Created with the Build Engine, which also powered the aforementioned shooters, Ion Fury combines old-school visuals with modern features such as auto saves, widescreen support, map interactivity, improved physics and even headshots. A preview campaign is currently available on PC through Steam Early Access for $19.99 (or regional equivalent). Those who purchased the preview campaign will receive the full game – which will cost $24.99 - as a free update when it launches next month. Ion Fury is out 15 August on Steam. Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch versions will be released at a later date. What do you think of the name change? Let us know below or over in the forums.  The Game Bakers have given us our first look at their new game, Haven, in action.
“It’s purposefully a very different experience from Furi. But as with Furi, we tried to make a game that you have never experienced before,” continues Thoa.
“The story of a couple fighting for their freedom, an established relationship: what love looks like when you’ve moved past the early seduction phase, when you can be your true self with one another… I don’t think that’s been done much in video games.” Players will experience a story-rich adventure that’s described as a “lovechild of Journey meets Persona,” on which they’ll help Yu and Kay through everyday life and challenges. An “innovative” combat system allows players to control both characters at once using tactics and timing. You can briefly see how combat works in the trailer above, with successful encounters seeming to relieve the local fauna of some sort of crystal that appears to be turning them aggressive. Haven is said to be “a solo game at its core,” but will support local co-op with a second player able to jump into the action, sharing in exploration and progression. Haven is out sometime next year and will be available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC. Whilst there’s no mention of an Xbox One version, developers The Game Bakers have stated that the complete platform plan is “not final.” What do you think of Haven? Let us know below or in the forums.  Numantian Games’ steampunk-apocalypse title, They Are Billions, is now available on Xbox One, with the PlayStation 4 version following soon after on 9 July.
Set in the distant future where large zombie hordes are roaming the Earth, They Are Billions tasks players with building and managing the last human colonies. Players must survive huge onslaughts, train troops and provide energy and protection for their inhabitants from the vast number of ravenous undead lurking outside their walls.
They Are Billions is out now on Xbox One and Steam, with a PlayStation 4 version arriving on 9 July. Will you be surviving a zombie apocalypse this weekend? Let us know below or over in the forums.  Carbon Studio have unveiled a new expansion for their virtual reality title, The Wizards.
Dark Times releases on Steam sometime next year and is available to wishlist now.
Currently, there’s no indication the expansion will be coming to PS VR, a platform which recently received an enhanced edition of the main game that Sam described as “an intoxicating realisation of… long-held magical fantasies” in his review. Did you play The Wizards? Looking forward to the new content? Let us know below or in the forums. Ubisoft round-up | E3 201911/6/2019  Ubisoft opened with a customary musical performance, except this time it was the orchestral melodies of the Assassin’s Creed Symphony, instead of the energetic pop of Just Dance kicking things off. Fans of the latter need not be disappointed, however, as Just Dance 2020 made its exuberant appearance later in the show, dancing pandas and all!
Breakpoint’s starring antagonist, TV’s John Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher), was joined on stage by a dog as he discussed Colonel Cole D. Walker’s rogue army from the latest Ghost Recon. The Wolves, as they’re known, are made up of former Ghosts who inhabit the fictional island of Auroa. With their lethal technology and spec-ops training, it sounds like they’ll prove more formidable opposition than Wildlands’ Santa Blanca cartel and Unidad army. Further reveals included AI teammates for solo players, a community feedback program, and confirmation of a beta taking place 5 September. Post-launch support will include free updates and more crossover events, including a Terminator one (just like in Gears 5) that was hinted at during last night’s presentation. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is out 4 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Gods, monsters and more Tom Clancy There was also new content announced for The Division 2. Episode 1 arrives in July and takes players on missions outside the Washington D.C. city limits as they track down a rogue ally, take on a dangerous outcast leader in a zoo and try to find a missing convoy. The latter takes place in Kenly College, and is said to be home to an “entirely new gameplay experience.” Episode 2 arrives later in the year and features more main missions, this time set in the Pentagon, and adds another 8-player raid. Episode 3, meanwhile, arrives early next year and brings back the New York City setting from the first game. Finally, it was confirmed that Netflix will be making The Division movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. New games announced during the show were Rainbow Six Quarantine and a new IP called Gods and Monsters. The former releases early next year and sounds like an extended take on Siege’s Outbreak mode, which saw players fighting their way through levels infested with monsters. In Quarantine, players will take on a “devastating parasite” with their operators in cooperative action. The trailer, while light on details, at least looks impressive. Check it out below. We were also only treated to a vague cinematic trailer for Gods and Monsters, a new title from the makers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The game tells the story of a “forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods.” It sounds like it’ll be an open world affair, with players able to fight mythical creatures and “explore a beautiful fantasy world where tricky trials, treacherous dungeons, and heroic feats await.” Gods and Monsters is out February next year on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC. Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ Another new IP revealed was Roller Champions, a “skill-based team PvP sports game that is as fun to watch as it is to play.” From the gameplay seen in the trailer, it looks like players race around an oval track on skates while trying to shoot a ball into a goal, as the opposition attempts to stop them. A pre-alpha demo is available to download now from Uplay on PC. Uplay takes on Xbox Game Pass Speaking of Uplay, Ubisoft announced a PC-only subscription service in Uplay+ during last night’s show. Players will be able to enjoy 100+ games through the service, including early access to the full versions of every new Ubisoft game, including premium editions and all their expansions. It’ll cost $14.99 (or regional equivalent) a month and launches this September. It’ll also be available through Google Stadia. What did you think of Ubisoft’s E3 presentation? Let us know below or over in the forums.
 The mania of Devolver Digital returned for a third year running and there were fistfuls of games on display at the PC Gaming Show. Here are some of the highlights.
What follows is a deeply surreal journey through game announcements and other self-referential snark which all takes place within Nina’s head. We’d highly recommend watching the video to see for yourself, along with the previous two to brush up on your Devolver lore. In terms of actual announcements though, Devolver did have a few things to share, including Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout from Mediatonic, a colourful every-blob-for-itself party game, Devolver Bootleg, which is a meta rip-off of Devolver’s own catalogue, and even an honest-to-goodness Enter the Gungeon arcade cabinet. PC Gaming Show brings a whole host of games At the PC Gaming Show, an altogether more sedate affair, but one which feels less showy than other high-budget presentations, there were tons of games on show. First up was a trailer for Rebellion’s Evil Genius 2: World Domination, a follow up to the long-dormant Bond villain management game which is set for Steam. In terms of high profile announcements, we had a release date - and Epic Store exclusivity - for Shenmue 3, which will debut on 19 November and feature martial arts training on a boat...  Elsewhere there was a Q&A with Borderlands 3 Creative Director Paul Sage, who gave us a few nuggets and expanded on things we already knew about the game, which comes out on 13 September. Badass ranks have been expanded to become guardian ranks, which allow for endless character progression over time, regardless of standard level, and will unlock bonus skins. This time Vault Hunters will have 50 levels to play with at launch, with familiar mechanics like golden loot boxes and shift codes returning for the game. There’ll also be “some PvP type stuff”. Baldur’s Gate III, which had its teaser trailer release a few days before, didn’t have much new to offer despite being saved for the end of the show. The strongest message was an important one - the game will be released when it’s ready, so the team aren’t committing to a specific ship date at the moment. Become a creature of the night There were plenty of other games on show as well, perhaps most notable among which was long-anticipated sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The gameplay reveal showed a darker version of our world where vampires must keep themselves a secret and “maintain the masquerade” in order to survive. Players will be able to see the mood potential blood-sucking targets are in, so, whether they’re filled with feelings of fear or desire, they’ll give you different buffs when you devour them. Turning won’t be a quick and easy process either, with you needing to adapt to your new life as a member of the undead and maintain fragile relationships with your former friends and family, dependant on your desire to put them at risk. Lots of new indies are coming Also announced were: Starmancer, a space station sim from Chucklefish with a 16-bit isometric viewpoint; Chivalry 2, a collaboration between Torn Banner and Tripwire coming in early 2020, aiming to bring Game of Thrones-style battles to life; and Midnight Ghost Hunt, a riff on Prop Hunt from Gary’s Mod where the props fight back. There was also a surprise from Funcom, who revealed the game they teased back on April Fool’s Day, Conan Chop Chop, is in fact a real thing. Not only that, but the Zelda-esque roguelike is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 3 September. Did you check out the PC Gaming Show? Were you amused by Devolver’s insane antics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
 Metronomik have announced a new partnership with Sold Out, who will be publishing their music action-adventure title No Straight Roads on PlayStation 4 and PC.
The collaboration means No Straight Roads will be getting a physical release on PlayStation 4 alongside the digital editions coming early next year to both the PlayStation Store and PC.
The game was originally scheduled to arrive later this year, but has now been pushed back into 2020. The boxed version of the game will have an RRP of £29.99/€39.99/$39.99. “Partnering with Sold Out has given us the opportunity to turn the volume up to 11 on No Straight Roads, and we’re thrilled to also release a physical edition,” said Wan Hazmer, CEO of Metronomik. “Pushing the game to early 2020 wasn’t an easy decision, but the extra time will let us fully deliver on our vision for No Straight Roads while sticking to our studio’s core values of providing a friendly, healthy workplace. We’re so proud of everyone on the team for what they’ve achieved so far, and we can’t wait to bring Vinyl City to life...!” You can see more of the game in action in our EGX Rezzed video round-up above, and we’ll also have an extended interview with developer Metronomik coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more No Straight Roads content in the next few weeks. No Straight Roads is out early next year on PlayStation 4 and PC. Let us know your thoughts on the game below or in the forums.  Avalanche Studios and Square Enix have revealed the latest batch of DLC coming to their open-world action title, Just Cause 4.
The new content sees a “return to the popular liberation gameplay of Just Cause 3,” and will “seamlessly” integrate into the Just Cause 4 sandbox world, adding new missions, weapons and equipment.
“Los Demonios is the second DLC pack in the ‘Dare Devils, Demons and Danger' Expansion Pass, and it brings a totally new experience to Just Cause 4,” said Avalanche Studios’ Creative Producer, Bryan Rodriguez. “For the first time, Rico is tangling with an otherwordly threat that will push him to his limits. This is our chance to see if Rico is as good at squashing demons as he is at toppling dictators!” As well as news of the new expansion, Square Enix also shared details of a large patch that went live yesterday as part of the game’s Spring Update. The patch “completely changes” the in-game lighting, according to the publisher, improving the way it reacts to the environment. Also added were destructible bridges and statues and new chaos objects, plus a “dialled-up ‘heat’ system that will have the Black Hand challenging Rico like never before.” Los Demonios is available to expansion pass holders and owners of the Gold Edition of the game on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC from 26 June, with everyone else getting access a week later. What do you think of the demonic twist? Let us know below or in the forums.  Asobo Studio and Focus Home Interactive are celebrating the successful launch of A Plague Tale: Innocence with a special video starring Sean Bean.
Sam described the game as a “memorably melancholic adventure with a life-affirming side of joy” in his recent review, which you can read in full here.
If you’re interested in playing A Plague Tale be sure to enter this week’s giveaway where you could win a copy of the game on Xbox One. You can find out how to enter here, but be quick, as the giveaway ends tomorrow! A Plague Tale: Innocence is currently available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. What did you think of Sean Bean’s reading? Enjoying the game so far? Let us know below or in the forums. |
READ MORE
Categories
All
Archives
July 2019
|
RSS Feed
Pass the Controller |
The Forums |
|
