Pillars of Eternity 2 Review - A worthy sequel and a highly enjoyable RPG in its own right [Spoiler-free]
- By Ash
- in Reviews
I realized Pillars of Eternity 2 was going to be right up my alley when I recruited one of my most useful companions at the furthest, least-interesting corner of a local tavern. He wasn't any sort of powerful mage or mighty warrior boasting of his conquests, not even an important character to the story, but rather a simple masseur with dreams of adventure.
There was no sidequest pointing me to where he's located, or a even rumor telling me he might be willing to join my cause. Instead, to find him I had to explore the world and talk to all of the interesting people I saw along the way. Sometimes these people would have relevance to the main storyline, and other times they would just be random individuals that are completely oblivious to what's happening in the world at large, but just about every single one of them was well worth talking to.
All of this helps create a world that is truly a wonder to explore, and one that I've spent more than 50 hours in without feeling like I've experiencing everything it has to offer. So if you're interested in seeing what Pillars of Eternity 2 does right, as well as what sort of problems lie hidden beneath the surface, allow me to share my thoughts after a rather eventful playthrough.
The Sinking City is an upcoming adventure and investigation hybrid with some rather heavy Lovecraftian overtones
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The Sinking City has now arrived for both PC and consoles!
If there is one genre of gaming I have a massive soft spot for, it would be adventure games thoroughly steeped in Lovecraftian elements. With that in mind, I am delighted to announce that The Sinking City is going to be just that, a Lovecraftian adventure-investigation hybrid that will have you attempt to unveil a sinister plot while still maintaining at least some semblance of sanity.
The recently posted trailer won't exactly tell you much about the gameplay, but it will give you a pretty darn good idea of the sort of atmosphere and tone The Sinking City is aiming for. Have a gander, it's quite an interesting video:
Paradox has now announced a grand strategy game set in ancient Rome - Imperator: Rome
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: Paradox is stopping development on Imperator: Rome for the foreseeable future.
I must admit, it's quite impressive to see how much Paradox adores grand strategy games. They're already maintaining and updating four absolutely massive ones, but apparently that is not enough as they have just recently announced another grand strategy game, this time around set in ancient Rome!
Imperator: Rome has only just been announced so there aren't that many details available, but if you're wondering what it's going to be all about you should check out the Game Director Johan Anderssons PDXCon presentation down below. The video is both lengthy and informative, so I would definitely recommend you give it a look if you're interested:
Battlerite devs have detailed how the upcoming Battle Royale game mode will play out
- By Ash
- in News
It was only a matter of time before non-FPS games started getting into the Battle Royale genre, and what better game to test the waters than the skill-intensive "arena brawler" Battlerite. Since you can't exactly transplant Battlerite's gameplay into a Battle Royale setting and expect it to work, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that developer Stunlock Studios is planning a whole bunch of changes.
"For now, all players are going to start with their M1 and Ultimate abilities (your energy meter will be empty). So you won’t be completely bare when you first drop onto the island," reads the developer update. "From there, the rest of your Champion’s toolkit will need to be scavenged. It is possible for an ability to drop more than once, so even if you’re searching in places you know other players have been it’s possible to still find abilities you’re missing. Though it would be really challenging, it is possible to win the game with an incomplete toolkit!"
Battlefield 4's Final Stand and Battlefield 1's In the Name of the Tsar DLCs are currently free on Origin
- By Ash
- in News
With Battlefield 5 fast approaching I'm sure many of you have decided to spend a bit of time with Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 1. If so, you might be interested to hear that EA is currently giving away a rather sizable piece of DLC for both games: Final Stand for Battlefield 4, and In the Name of the Tsar for Battlefield 1.
The whole process is fairly simple. Just log in with your Origin account, go through the whole 'purchasing' process, and you'll be granted both of the DLCs for free in no time. That said, I would recommend you go and grab them as soon as possible since EA has not announced how long this whole promotion will last. Usually it's about a month, but when you're working with basically no information I believe it's better to be err on the side of caution, just in case.
The cult classic action-adventure Killer7 will be coming to PC via Steam this Fall
- By Ash
- in News
While Killer7's gameplay was a bit clunky even when it originally released on PlayStation 2 and Gamecube, it is still one of the most interesting games I've seen, and one that I believe everyone should at least try once. With that in mind I am very glad to announce that Killer7 will be returning this Fall, though curiously enough, only on PC/Steam!
If you're wondering what the PC version might look like in-game, wonder no more as the NIS America has recently posted a brief trailer. The video unfortunately won't tell you much about the gameplay itself, but it should at least give you an idea of the sort of atmosphere and tone Killer7 is aiming for. Have a look:
[Update]: The original video has been taken down, so I've added a newer trailer instead.
Total War: Warhammer 2 devs have detailed the upcoming free DLC - Alith Anar
- By Ash
- in News
[Update] The patch is now live. You can find the full patch notes, as well as more about the accompanying "The Queen and the Crone" DLC over here.
Total War: Warhammer 2 will be getting a whole bunch of new content this May 31st. The Queen and The Crone DLC will bring with it two new Legendary Lords and a plethora of new units to toy around with, Norsca will finally make its way to both the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaign, the Dwarfs will be getting some much-needed changes and even a new Slayer unit, and last but not least, Alith Anar will be joining the High Elf roster as a brand new (and free) Legendary Lord.
If you're interested in a brief overview of all the new additions you will find what you seek over here, but for now I'll focus on the newly revealed Legendary Lord Alith Anar. He is going to be playable in both the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaign, and as you might expect given his lore, he will begin in Nagarythe with a burning hatred for anything even remotely shaped like a Dark Elf.