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Dawn of War 3 is an upcoming real-time strategy game set in the grim darkness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It is the third main game in the Dawn of War series, though the actual gameplay is styled after the original Dawn of War with a heavy focus on base-building and absolutely massive armies.
If you're wondering what all of this might look like in action, and what the story is going to be about, here's the most recent "Prophecy of War" trailer. There's not much in terms of spoilers in here, so even if you want a completely 'pure" playthrough feel free to watch the video. Anyway, have a look:
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If you're like me you probably assumed that the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (or rather the modern remasters of Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes back, and Warped) will be PlayStation exclusive, but apparently that's only going to be a time-limited thing. According to PlayStation Ireland "it will be coming to PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro first", though how long the exclusivity will last nobody was willing to say.
Since this collection of remasters has nothing to do with Sony or Naughty Dog, and since its no longer PlayStation exclusive, chances are high that it will eventually make its way to PC, Xbox One, and perhaps even Nintendo Switch. And if it does I will be one very happy marsupial since the PlayStation 1 has been the only console I've ever owned, and the Crash series one of the rare few games that have managed to occupy my attention for any lengthy period of time.
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Mass Effect: Andromeda will bring with it a new and improved version of Mass Effect 3's combat system. It will feature many of the same abilities and strategies, but without any of the previous limitations, which should go a long way towards creating new and interesting playstyles to mess around with.
If you're wondering how far this system will really go, make sure to check out the most recent gameplay preview as it focuses on combat variety, player skills, and squad-based tactics. And don't worry about spoilers, outside of the names of your followers there is absolutely nothing story related in here. Anyway, here's the video:
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Even though its five-years-old at this point Paradox is still pumping new content into Crusader Kings 2. The most recent The Reaper's Due DLC brought with it the black plague and a variety of other physical maladies, while the upcoming Monks & Mystics DLC will focus more on the spiritual side of things, as well as secret societies.
If that sounds like something you might be interested in, here's the relatively recent teaser trailer. It doesn't feature any gameplay, but it does a damn good job of setting the mood for the whole expansion. Anyway, have a look:
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Besides being incredibly strange to actually write down, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is an upcoming action RPG and the long-awaited eight installment of the Ys series. It has been available for quite a while now for the PlayStation Vita in Japan, but soon it will be available in the west as well. The exact date isn't currently known, but what I can tell you is that the English version will arrive for the PC, PS4, and Vita in Fall 2017.
And if you're wondering what the latest Ys game might look like in action, you'll find the full trailer down below. Unfortunately there is no English version just yet, so you'll have to settle for watching the gameplay and cinematics without any actual context. Here's the video:
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Ghost Recon Wildlands is Ubisoft's upcoming open world tactical shooter where you'll get to join an elite special operations unit in order to take down a rather nasty, and rather well funded drug cartel. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you'll be glad to hear that the Open Beta has now begun, and will remain active until February 27th.
The Open Beta features 2 out of 21 provinces from the full game: Itacua - a mountainous region with long sight lines and a relatively small cartel presence, and Montuyoc - an inhospitable location that's host to the cartel's elite training centers and filled to the brim with bad guys to take down. As with the full version you can try and accomplish all of your goals through stealth or pure gunplay, singleplayer or co-op, or any mixture of those.
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If you found yourself enjoying the Shadowverse singleplayer campaign, as cheesy and ridiculous as it was, you'll be glad to hear that the first follow-up chapter will be arriving next week. Chapter 2 will not feature all of the in-game characters as the focus this time around is set squarely on Arisa, Erika, and Luna, so hopefully this means the writing will be greatly improved when compared to the original. As for the storyline, its currently being kept secret, but its safe to assume were going to find out what lies beyond the Infinity Gate.
The update will also bring with it a new difficulty setting for practice games, nerfs to Goblin Mage and Piercing Rune, as well as other minor improvements. While the first part might sound completely inconsequential given that not many people care about AI games, it is actually significant for new players as it will bring with it new achievements, and consequently new rewards as well!
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While it might be lagging an entire year behind the PC release, the Linux version of Hitman has now finally arrived. Much like the majority of Linux ports these days it has not been made by the developers themselves, but rather by Feral Interactive whom you might know from their work on Total War: Warhammer, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, etc.
As for the Mac version, I'm afraid I couldn't find any concrete information. However, Feral Interactive has previously stated that they are waiting for an all-important Metal update in order to start working on Mac versions for their other games, so chances are the same applies to Hitman as well.
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After being incredibly hesitant to touch Arena over the past three years, Blizzard has finally decided to jump in and stir things up. Once the next update arrives you can expect to see more high-rarity cards in your draft, a lot more spells, as well as less old and boring neutral cards. And before you start worrying about Mage dominance, I should also mention that both Flamestrike and Abyssal Enforcer are going to be showing up 50% less!
While those changes are all straight up great, there is one that has me slightly worried: "Arena will change from Wild format to Standard". In my eyes Arena has always been a game mode where you're supposed to achieve something amazing with a complete mishmash of cards. You simply cannot rely on synergies or overpowered combos, you have to create your own fortune. With the transition to Standard and Blizzard's recent focus on wide themes over unique cards, all of this might just go away in favor of a watered down Ranked experience. Thankfully, Ben Brode himself has already confirmed that this is simply an experiment, so if it doesn't work out we can expect to see Arena go back into the Wild once more.
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Total War: Warhammer will be getting a massive free update on February 28th, and among all of the new additions the most interesting one is the arrival of Bretonnia as a playable faction on the campaign map. It will come with three Legendary Lords (King Louen Leoncoeur, Alberic of Bordeleaux and the Fay Enchantress), unique quests and starting positions for each one, as well as a whole host of updated units.
If you're interested in seeing what Bretonnia looks like in action, you'll find the most recent preview video right below. It features ~12 minutes of campaign gameplay, going over pretty much everything you need to know about Bretonnia before jumping in yourself. There is unfortunately no combat, but I'm sure that video will be coming in the near future as well. Anyway, have a look: