- By Ash
- in News
Santa is still a couple of days away, but if you feel the need to fill up your virtual stockings you'll be glad to hear that the Steam Winter Sale has now began! I'd wager this isn't much a of surprise for most of you given that the launch date was leaked not once, not twice, but five times already. However, while the reveal may not have been as much of a spectacle as in the previous few years, the good news is that the discounts are just as good!
Cities: Skylines is currently €7, Doom is €20, The Witcher 3 - Game of the Year Edition is €30, Rainbow Six Siege is €20, and these are just the games Steam felt I should know about... despite already owning them! So if you're up for gaming on a discount, head on over to your discovery queue and prepare to make your poor wallet weep.
- By Ash
- in News
The standalone version of Gwent is still in closed beta, but CDPR is chugging along nicely when it comes to updates. They've already released numerous balance and performance patches, and just recently they have unleashed perhaps the most important additions so far - Ranked Play and the progression system rework.
The way the progression system functioned previously was rather... poor, to say the least. You would only gain experience if you won the match, so even if you lost a game after the most exciting 20 minutes of your life you would still get absolutely nothing for your efforts! With the most recent update, however, the progression system now tracks how many rounds you've won, so the closer the match the more experience you will get - as it should be. If you're interested in all of the minute details you'll find the brief developer update video down below:
- By Ash
- in News
If you've pre-ordered the rather expensive Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition you might want to check your email because the codes for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition have recently been sent out. And as you can probably guess from the title, this also means that Halo Wars is now finally playable on the PC as well, though naturally as a Windows 10 exclusive.
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition brings with it improved graphics and performance, all of the previously released DLC, and for those of you that like such things - a new batch of achievements to collect. Furthermore, the legacy matchmaking system has been replaced with a new multiplayer session browser, so you should have a much easier time joining exactly the type of match you want.
- By Ash
- in News
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:
- By Ash
- in News
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.
- By Ash
- in News
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:
- By Ash
- in News
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:
- By Ash
- in News
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:
- By Ash
- in News
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:
- By Ash
- in News
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!