Starcraft 2's next update is looking to massively improve and expand the Map Editor tool
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: The anniversary patch has now gone live, and it sure is a big one!
Even though Starcraft 2's Map Editor is significantly more powerful than its Warcraft 3 counterpart, using it requires unusual amounts of effort. When I first tried to make a map, and this was after years of playing around with Warcraft 3's editor, it took me well over an hour to figure out how to change a single character model! Needless to say, things like that aren't exactly ideal for a tool that's supposed to be fun for everyone to mess around with, regardless of their experience.
With that in mind, you might be glad to hear that all of this will soon be a thing of the past. It may have taken quite a while to get here, but Blizzard is now finally implementing some massive improvements to the Map Editor, many of which are inspired by Warcraft 3.
The horror-themed turn-based strategy Othercide is set to launch next week
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Othercide and its rather striking visuals have now landed onto both PC and consoles.
If you're looking for a turn-based strategy game that's a little bit more fast-paced and proactive, you might want to keep an eye on the upcoming Othercide. Besides a downright lovely horror aesthetic, Othercide features a dynamic timeline that allows for the planning of elaborate combos that can involve multiple characters and cascade into an entire flurry of attacks.
Since this is one of those things that is easier to describe through actual gameplay, allow me to share with you the recently posted overview trailer. It'll give you a pretty good idea of just what Othercide is going for, as well as how fetching the artstyle truly is. Have a look:
Overcooked! 2's free Sun's Out, Buns Out update has added brand new levels and adorable canine chefs
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Overcooked! 2's free Moon Harvest update has baked a sizable batch of new content.
Even though it already has a rather sizable amount of content, the Overcooked! 2 team has just now released a brand new batch for everyone to enjoy! The free Sun's Out, Buns Out update brings with it two downright adorable canine chefs, a variety of summer recipes to help you cool off, five new kitchens to completely ruin, as well as fireworks, confetti and festival floats to help spice all of that up!
You can get a pretty good idea of what all of this nonsense looks like in gameplay terms, as well as just how charming it all is, through the newly posted trailer. Have a peek:
No Man's Sky's Desolation update has brought in a bit of a survival-horror atmosphere
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: No Man's Sky's Origins update has made planets significantly more unique and interesting to explore!
In a bit of a surprising (albeit not unwelcome) change in direction, No Man's Sky's Desolation update has now brought in a smidgen of survival-horror to the usually relaxed exploration. Most of this comes through the newly added derelict and procedurally generated ships, many of which are filled with both alien riches and dangers to uncover.
While each ship is randomly generated, there are plenty of hand-written text logs for you to find throughout your journey, all in an effort to piece together just what exactly happened to the ship you're on. But if you don't really care about the story, worry not as you'll still have plenty to do given that the ships appear to be practically infested with innumerable alien nasties.
Beyond a Steel Sky, a sequel to the classic Beneath a Steel Sky, has now landed onto Steam
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're a fan of point & click adventure games, especially the oldschool ones, then you might be interested to hear that Beyond a Steel Sky has now finally been released. As the name would suggest, Beyond a Steel Sky is a modern sequel to the legendary (and still entirely free) Beneath the Steel Sky that hails all the way back from 1994.
As for what exactly it's about, it's probably best to describe Beyond a Steel Sky as a cyberpunk adventure that will have you explore the usual assortment of themes like corruption, total surveillance, artificial intelligence, and the cost of freedom. Besides these rather heavy themes, you can also expect to see a fair bit of witty and humorous dialogue, as well as plenty of puzzles to wrack your brain against.
Superhot's standalone expansion Mind Control Delete has now been unleashed
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're in the mood for some time-bendy shooty action, you might be glad to hear that Superhot's standalone expansion Mind Control Delete has now arrived. It brings with it a campaign that's significantly longer than the original game's, increasingly more challenging encounters, more bizarre mysteries to unravel, and naturally, even more skills and techniques to toy around with as you dance across the battlefield.
Perhaps most importantly of all, Superhot: Mind Control Delete is entirely free to everyone that purchased the original Superhot before July 16th! You don't even need to do anything special in order to claim your copy. As long as you actually bought Superhot and didn't receive it through some sort of giveaway, the Mind Control Delete expansion should already be added to your account!
Overwatch devs are working on two experimental updates, the first of which is coming next week
- By Ash
- in News
[Update #2]: The latest patch has brought in experimental Assault (2CP) changes and Genji nerfs.
[Update]: Overwatch devs have now also shared a behind-the-scenes look at their tools, engine and potential challenges.
While they aren't always successful, the experimental updates have proven themselves to be quite useful for improving Overwatch as a whole. They allow Blizzard to quickly test balance changes and see the community's reaction to them, as well as mess around with some of the fundamentals like the number of tank players per team without actually disrupting the usual gameplay.
As such, I am very happy to say that Blizzard is currently planning to unleash two new experiments in the near future. The first one will be balance-focused and will bring with it some much-needed nerfs to Genji, as well as yet another batch of potential changes for Moira, all in an effort to make her a more fair and interesting character to play.