Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 3 Ork artwork from trailer

The Warhammer 40k universe has been going on for nearly thirty years now, and as such its a bit ambitious to expect everyone to know what in the blazing hells is even going on. Sure, I'd wager most people know what an Ork or a Space Marine are, but what about the specific characters and their motivations, or even the differences between the various factions?

So if you belong to the "I have no idea what's happening" camp and would like to learn a little bit more about Warhammer 40k before Dawn of War 3 arrives, you'll be glad to hear that the developers have recently posted a brief overview of the general lore and the characters you'll meet. Have a look:

Team Fortress 2's Smissmas official artwork

For those of you not in the loop, Smissmas is the most wonderful time of year. Its a time when friends and foes can finally lay down their grotesque weapons of destruction, and instead equip much more festive versions to blow each other to smithereens with! Because in TF2, if it doesn't include shiny new cosmetics, its not worth doing!

As such, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to hear that there are a whole bunch of new festive weapons and skins, as well as three new taunts to annoy your enemies with. And if these sort of shiny new hats are what you seek, you'll also be glad to hear that the in-game store is currently holding a massive sale on a variety of items and paint kits.

Overwatch cast dressed up as Santa and his elves

It really does seem like the Overwatch team is trying to go for some sort of a 'community favorite' award at this point. It has been a mere month since the previous Developer Update, and already we have Overwatch's Game Director Jeff Kaplan behind the camera discussing the team's current and future plans! If only the rest of the Blizzard teams could be this communicative...

But moaning aside, if you're interested in learning more about the direction Overwatch will take in 2017, you'll find the most recent Developer Update down below. And for those of you that don't have time to watch the whole video, I'll also include my brief summary. Have a look:

Prison Architect screenshot of a rather well designed prison system

Despite Prison Architect receiving its "final update" a little while ago, it appears that Introversion Software simply couldn't stop themselves from adding a couple of bonus features for the holidays. And since Christmas is all about giving, Update 11 will make it so your guards no longer operate as "robot gaolers", but rather as actual people. In other words you will need to give them their own toilets and canteens, staff and recreation areas, and everything else a hardworking guard might need in order to not cause unfortunate... accidents on the job.

If you're interested in seeing what this looks like in terms of gameplay, you'll find the developer preview down below. The video's rather lengthy, totaling at around 40 minutes, but its surprisingly compelling given the chemistry between the developers. So if you don't mind the length, give it a look:

AI War 2 very early gameplay screenshot

Arcen Games have been on a bit of a downward spiral for the past couple of years. Their games, despite reviewing pretty well, mostly ended up selling abysmally. And when you add to that their completely underwhelming latest game In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor, the outlook seemed to be incredibly grim.

With that in mind, I am more than happy to tell you that their Kickstarter campaign for AI War 2 has not only been a success, but they have managed to gather ~$100,000 in funding - basically double the asking amount! In terms of stretch goals this means a whole bunch of new music, the return of the Spire as a playable race with their own mechanics, a new type of Nemesis AI whose only purpose in life is to end yours, and finally - giant interplanetary weapons... because why not!

If you're interested in what this looks like in gameplay terms, you'll find the very first combat prototype video down below. All of the footage you'll be seeing is from a pre-alpha build, so expect every single thing to get polished up, replaced, or reworked by the time AI War 2 reaches release. With that disclaimer now out of the way, here's the video:

Asheron's Call artwork of a shop

After being around for what feels like forever, it appears that the time has come for both Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2. According to the recently posted announcement, both MMOs will be closing down their doors on January 31st, 2017.

As for the reason why, the developers haven't elaborated, but I'd imagine the extremely heavy competition from much modern MMOs has done quite a number on AC's population. And speaking of developers, here's their brief and heartfelt goodbye message:

Tracer from the festive Overwatch comic Reflections

If your love for Overwatch transcends the field of battle, you'll be glad to hear that Blizzard has just released a brand new comic. But unlike the previous 'super-serious' comics that revealed a ton of new lore, Tracer's Reflection is more about the characters themselves and how they celebrate the holiday season.

So if you're up for feeling both happy and sad for the various members of Overwatch, you'll find the comic over here. Once you get to the two-page spread with all of the characters make sure to check out each section individually - there's a ton of detail in nearly every single one of them!

Styx: Shards of Darkness screenshot featuring a sneaky trip through the darkness

Styx: Shards of Darkness is an upcoming stealth game in the vein of the Thief series. In other words, it features plenty of open-ended levels crawling with guards, a variety of weapons and tools to dispatch them with, and stealth mechanics that revolve around careful planning and execution rather than brainless aggression.

And if you're wondering what all of this might look like in-game, here's the recently posted gameplay trailer showcasing a rather large level and a plethora of tricks and tools. As far as story spoilers are concerned, there is basically nothing to worry about, so feel free to give it a look. Here's the video:

Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor - Martyr duel with Chaos

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr is an upcoming action RPG that aims to combine Diablo-like features such as randomized levels, tons of replayability, and a constantly increasing difficulty curve, with the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium. But perhaps most importantly, the developers aim to have all of that backed up with a compelling narrative and interesting characters.

And to that aim they have released just released the first of four short stories following an Inquisitorial investigation into a world that has forsaken the God-Emperor. If this sounds like something you might enjoy, you can find the free download over at the Black Library.

Turtle Rock Studios's Evolve screenshot

[Update]: Turtle Rock's Left 4 Dead inspired shooter Back 4 Blood will be launching in October 2021.

While Evolve may have ended up in complete failure due to mismanagement and some questionable gameplay choices, Left 4 Dead still remains as one of those games I reinstall and replay at least once a year. As such, I am happy to say that Turtle Rock Studios have announced a partnership with Perfect World Entertainment in order to create a brand new co-op FPS.

The details are currently a bit scarce, but the 'super secret' project is going to be a first-person free-to-play shooter with a heavy focus on co-operative action, and perhaps most importantly, a return to what "Turtle Rock does best". Here's the full quote from Turtle Rock's Co-Founder Phil Robb: