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Jaggy's Corner - Sunday March 31st


This week I want to bring to your attention a Kickstarter campaign that I am super excited about.

The particular campaign is important to me because it's for a new narrative adventure game being worked on by Cyan World, Inc. If that didn't give anything away, Cyan Worlds, Inc. were one of the companies that kicked off the first person puzzle genre with their hit title Myst. Though, at the time, another adventure puzzle game also helped to popularize the genre and that title was The 7th Guest. Games like Riddle of the Sphinx, The Crystal Key, Rhem, Starship Titanic, Syberia, and Atlantis: The Lost Tales were released as a result of the popularity of first person adventure games.

Here we are in 2019 and Cyan has decided to bring another exciting adventure story that can be played in both a VR and non-VR state. The game's title is Firmament and from the video footage shown on the Kickstarter page, I'm already excited. Here is a small taste of what is written on the Kickstarter page:
You wake in a glacial cavern - perfused by blue. It's crowded with metal pipes and adorned with curious, clockwork gears.

Echoing machinery resonates in your ears as a massive metal door opens before you...

As you enter a dark chamber, warm lights flicker to life, revealing a frigid, yet intimate stone interior, supported by riveted iron beams. In the middle of this room is an ancient table - a tea cup on one end and a frozen body slumped over the other. The corpse's hands hold an exquisite clockwork device - held out like an offering.
If that wasn't enough, the Myst series is well known for some of its music like the intro theme to Myst III: Exile. However, the most notable of the series is the theme song from Myst IV: Revelation, which I listened ad naseum. That brilliant piece of music can be heard here:


The series has used the talent of musicians like Robyn Miller in the first couple of games, Jack Wall for Myst III and IV, and Tim Larkin who worked primarily on Myst V - the last game of the series. However, my most favorite piece in the series is the exclusive track written by Jack Wall in collaboration with Peter Gabriel in Myst IV: Revelation. It is called Curtains and it's much more appropriate to listen to once the puzzle preceding it is complete but, this is the YouTube link without the video footage. (That way, nothing is spoiled about it.)

For this new title Firmament, the musician will be Russell Brower who is most known for his work on World of Warcraft. He's a three-time Emmy Award winning sound designer and will be lending his expertise to this new project.

Are you hooked yet?

If not, I encourage everyone who loves these kinds of puzzles games to take a look at the Kickstarter campaign that runs for another 26 days (from today). Right now, Cyan is not quite at the half way mark, but I have faith that they will reach their goal because I need this game in my life!

Here is the link to the Kickstarter page and the Twitter page for Firmament. Give them some love and don't let this one slide on by without making the goal because everything Rand Miller has released has been amazing, including Obduction (which I should really sit down and finish playing).

Anyways, spread the love! The gaming industry needs more amazing titles like Myst and Obduction done by good development companies like Cyan.

Until next time.

Article by Susan N.
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Conglomerate 451 Announcement Trailer by 1C Entertainment


Prague, Czech Republic, March 25th, 2019 - Today, 1C Entertainment and developer RuneHeads are excited to unveil their brand new game and an evolution of the classic, first-person dungeon crawler genre, datamoshed together with a cyberpunk twist. Say hello to Conglomerate 451 and goodbye to the limits of your human vessel, because this futuristic RPG will arrive on Steam Early Access (PC) soon.

Embracing its grid-based, dungeon crawling RPG roots, Conglomerate 451 offers players an evolution of one of gaming’s most beloved genres. Tasked with taking down the corrupt corporations that threaten sector 451 of Conglomerate city, establish and manage a crack team of cloned agents, altering their DNA and outfitting them with the latest in high-end cyberlimbs, implants and weaponry to best carve out an edge in this city-wide struggle.

Each encounter carries additional weight, however. Roguelike elements ensure that not only could each mission be an agent’s last, but that even the most inconsequential wound can evolve into a permanent status modifier, changing the way they approach future encounters. This means players will have to leverage everything from hacking and equippable agent skills, to strategic use of their personal R&D department to make it out alive.

Key Features:
  • Classic dungeon crawling - Face your enemies in a cyberpunk take on classic, turn-based dungeon crawling gameplay by choosing the best strategy, taking advantage of their weak points and making the most out of your agents' skills
  • Manage your resources - Make use of your own personal R&D department to research advanced technology, unlocking new features, powers and options for progression
  • More than just body mods - In addition to upgrading weapon and armor proficiencies, augment your body with interchangeable cyber implants that completely change your agent’s skills and utility
  • Pain and Trauma system - Even the smallest wounds can have a lasting impact. By taking damage in combat, agents risk generating permanent Traumas that will follow them between missions
  • Procedural cyber dungeons - Experience the dungeon crawling you love, mixed with future technology as you take on procedurally-generated dungeons and missions
  • If you die in the game... - Each mission could be your last thanks to agent permadeath. Consider every move, because if an agent dies in battle, they will be lost forever
  • Hack the world - Enter cyberspace mid-mission and hack your way ahead of the competition to get crucial intel and give yourself the advantage

Conglomerate 451 arrives on Steam Early Access soon, with a full launch planned for later this year. Not only this, but if you’re attending PAX East 2019, don’t hesitate to stop by Booth #19115 and be among the first to get your hands on the game! For more information, be sure to check out the game on Steam and follow RuneHeads and 1C Entertainment on Twitter.


About 1C Entertainment

1C Entertainment is an international group with offices located in Warsaw, Gdansk, Prague, Budapest and Moscow and operating in the segments of game production, distribution and services for video game developers. The company releases video games for all platforms through its global network of partners digitally and in retail. 1C Entertainment has successfully launched over 100 game titles including critically acclaimed series - IL-2 Sturmovik, King’s Bounty, Men of War and Space Rangers. Recent releases include such games as Ancestors Legacy and Deep Sky Derelicts. For more information about 1C Entertainment and their games, please visit the official 1C Entertainment website.

About RuneHeads

RuneHeads is one of the most acclaimed independent game studios in Italy. Founded in 2017 by two industry veterans, it's a team driven by passion of making games they would love to play. For more information, please visit www.runeheads.com 

Article by Susan N.

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Assault Android Cactus+ - Switch Review


Assault Android Cactus is hectic, violent, and colorful. And so is the game with the same name as the character. Short, sweet, and filling that void of “something quick and fast to play with friends”.

There is a plot of sorts to Assault Android Cactus, although it makes about much sense as the naming scheme. The main character, Cactus, is an android working for an intergalactic police force, or something similar. She comes across a spaceship, it starts firing upon her, so she does the first reasonable thing, RAMMING SPEED ENGAGE. Turns out the robots have started a revolution, so you’ve gotta put a stop to that. You join up with three other, rather unwilling, assistants to fight your way through waves of robots until you stop the source of the uprising.

AAC plays like most top-down shooters, you run and gun through waves of enemies in an enclosed area. You move and fire with an auto-lock-on, and you have a secondary fire, various power ups to collect, and you can upgrade your weapon with in-stage points if you collect enough. More unique to Cactus is the battery meter. Basically, instead of a timer or traditional health bar, Cactus features a battery gauge that decreases over time, and when you die, as long as you have battery left, you can stand back up, although you lose your weapon upgrades.


Cactus is composed of a couple of levels, each with a group of stages and a boss at the end. And let me tell you, some of the bosses can be pretty tough. As you progress through the game you unlock a bunch of different characters, my personally favorite being the lava cannon/drill character, while my friend liked Starch best <pineapple>. Each character has their own unique weapon types, and they all work differently, which is really nice to see. Too often are “alternate characters” really just palette swaps, but not here.

After about two hours, when you’ve beaten the game, you unlock a harder difficulty, as well as a plethora of new options and unlockables, such as game modifiers and concept art.


Assault Android Cactus is hectic and possibly epilepsy inducing, but it’s really fun, and probably about the right length before you start getting tired of a sitting. There are a lot of bonus features to unlock, and the new difficulty does provide both a serious challenge, as well as more “plot”, if that’s actually what you’re after. The cutesy character models and high energy is definitely engaging, although the biggest draw for me is having something where I can grab a group of four of us, sit down on the couch, and all play together, without yelling at each other like we’re playing Mario Kart.

While it is a short game, I think the phrase “short and sweet” applies rather well to this title. While it might not have the most to offer in terms of campaign, it well makes up for in couch co-op-ability, and yes that’s now a word. If you’re looking for something to do with a few friends, if you have those, go check out Assault Android Cactus, available on pretty much any system you can shake a stick at.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
Witch BEam
Publisher(s):
Witch Beam
Genre(s):
Shoot 'Em Up
Bullet Hell
Twin Stick Shooter
Mode(s):
Single Player
Coop
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher



Article by Richard
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The Unintended Consequences of Curiosity Available on Steam!


HELSINKI - MARCH 22, 2019 - The Unintended Consequences of Curiosity hits Steam today.

Aikio wanted to find a game that he could play with his spouse. So he made this. It’s a very simple adventure that can be played alone or with friends. It supports up to four players on a single screen. Price of the game is $7.99 but is now available with a small release discount.

The Unintended Consequences of Curiosity happens when some small town children accidentally break a magical snow globe that was used to keep the winter away. Their hometown becomes fully frozen, and they must now find a solution to bring back their beloved village.

Unintended can be played alone, or with up to four people. The adventure takes the players through various environments and situations that mostly involve environmental puzzles and clever usage of magical items obtainable along the way.

The Unintended Consequences of Curiosity retails at $7.99 and can be found on Steam.

Game features:
  • A vast single player adventure
  • Up to four players with single-screen local co-op
  • Tons of charming puzzles with interesting mechanics
  • Original soundtrack with over 20 compositions
  • Highly tailored boss encounters

More information about the game can be found on the Official Site.


About Aikio

Aikio is an independent solo game developer from Helsinki, Finland. He decided to create The Unintended consequences of curiosity after trying to find a good game to play with his spouse from STEAM, but could not find anything that is simple enough for non-gamer and still interesting enough for a more experienced gamer. So why not create one by himself.

All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.


Article by Susan N.

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Knights of the Temple - Retro Reflection


Medieval history and hack and slash games are among my favorite things, so I was glad to discover Knights of the Temple on PS2. The story is about Paul, an idealistic new member of the famous Knights of the Temple, a powerful group of warriors established during the Crusades. Paul finds out his beloved Adelle has been kidnapped by the corrupted bishop of Belmont, who plans to bring hell on Earth by performing a diabolical ritual. Unfortunately, what follows teaches you nothing about the Templars and the plot is simplistic and uninteresting.

Knights of the Temple is a pure hack and slash game: Paul massacres enemies in melee combat, using swords, maces and axes (there is also a bow that is rarely used); the action is fast and enjoyable, making you feel like a human killing machine. Besides melee attacks, which can be combined, you gradually acquire spells and special moves (eight in total). Spells can heal you, make you invulnerable or hurt enemies; they consume magical energy, accumulated by killing adversaries. Special moves break through defenses or deal extra damage; they require stamina, which is replenished very quickly automatically.


There are a few puzzles too, like changing the water level in the sewers or rotating zodiac symbols on a map to open a gate. The level design is linear, however some side rooms contain health items, spell upgrades or new weapons.

The atmosphere of the first level is fantastic, as you fight in narrow stone corridors against possessed monks who wield scythes and move like puppets with broken strings. In the desolate town of Belmont you are attacked by armored thugs and escape through the harbor. Afterwards, you travel to the city Acre, where you battle in yards against Saracens with turbans and curvy swords. Then you go to sacred Jerusalem, Petra, a giant monument carved in stone, the lava pits of hell (which makes no sense at all) and Belmont, again.


Technically, the game is nothing special: few colors are used, for example you see lots of grey and brown at Belmont, and the PS2 textures are a bit unclear and blurry. What I did not like is that after Acre you see the same scenery and enemies often; in addition, Jerusalem is reduced to a series of generic yards and buildings with countless doors you cannot open. The sound contributes to a sense of dread when you are in the monastery and changes appropriately in the Middle East. The controls are perfect, making combat easy to handle and fun. The face buttons are for melee attacks, blocking (essential) and interacting with the environment. You save at the end of a stage and there are save points too, which can be used only once.

In general, Knights of the Temple offered a mixed experience: I loved the bloody action and dark atmosphere but the second half is less good and the ending is disappointing. Fans of medieval themes and the hack and slash genre may be interested in it.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 2
Developer(s):
Starbreeze Studios
Publisher(s):
TDK Mediactive
Genre(s):
Action
Adventure
Hack & Slash
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox
Nintendo GameCube
PC

Source:
Purchased


Article by Dimitris
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Third Episode of Life Is Strange 2 Wasteland Available May 9th


Screenshot from Episode 2

Thursday, March 21, 2019 — LONDON – SQUARE ENIX® is excited to announce the release date for the third episode of the all-new five-episode season from Square Enix External Studios and Michel Koch and Raoul Barbet’s Life is Strange team at DONTNOD Entertainment.

Life is Strange™ 2 Episode 3: ‘Wastelands’, will release on May 9, 2019, on XBOX ONE®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

The Life is Strange teams at Square Enix External Studios and DONTNOD Entertainment would like to share the plans for upcoming Life is Strange 2 content in 2019 with players.

Episode 3, ‘Wastelands’, continues Sean and Daniel Diaz’s journey to Mexico, as they reach the towering redwood forests of California. Falling in with a community of drifters on the fringes of society, the brothers are exposed to new experiences, encounter new friends and new challenges, and must confront much about themselves in the process. New relationships cause friction between the brothers and raise doubts about their unity. Can they stay together, or will their journey together end here?

Tune in here to find the latest updates from the Life is Strange 2 developer blog.

Visit the LIFE IS STRANGE official website: https://lifeisstrange.square-enix-games.com

Find LIFE IS STRANGE official Facebook page here and find it on Twitter.

Second screenshot from Episode 2

About DONTNOD Entertainment


Founded in 2008, DONTNOD is an independent studio that develops video games in popular genres, such as adventure (Life is Strange), action (Remember Me) and RPG (Vampyr). Every new game is an original, multi-platform creation with a unique narrative experience and gameplay and is aimed at a wide audience, whether released in episodes, or in “one-shot” format. The studio has built an international reputation amongst working with worldwide leading publishers such as Square Enix, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Focus Home Interactive and Capcom. www.dont-nod.com

DONTNOD (ISIN code: FR0013331212 - ALDNE) is listed on Euronext Growth Paris

About Square Enix External Studios


Square Enix External Studios is a London based development and publishing group that works with top development studios across the world, establishing new intellectual properties and developing new franchises within the umbrella of Square Enix Holdings. Square Enix External Studios have been responsible for multiple games including the Just Cause® and Life is Strange® series, as well as titles such as Batman: Arkham Asylum® and Sleeping Dogs®.

About Square Enix Ltd.


Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as Crystal Dynamics® and Eidos Montréal®. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 144 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 78 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 74 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at https://square-enix-games.com

Life Is Strange 2 © 2018 Square Enix Ltd.  All rights reserved.

Developed by DONTNOD Entertainment SARL.

LIFE IS STRANGE, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. DONTNOD is a trademark of DONTNOD Entertainment SARL. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Article by Susan N.
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Valley - Switch Review


The Valley is one of those games I first looked at and said :Nah, not really”. Fast forward a ways and I get goaded into playing it in order to snag another title I had my eye on. I can honestly say, after playing The Valley, I am embarrassed I didn’t give The Valley more of a shot when I first heard about it.

The Valley sees a young eager explorer looking for an ancient artifact called “the lifeseed”. So off you set out to an isolated mountain range, and the valley that lies within. Once you get there, you discover that the army had been there previously, so off you go to see if you can’t discover what happened. Along the way you discover a bionic suit that helps you run, jump, control life and death, and return from the dead. Yes, you read those last two right, but they aren’t the most interesting. No seriously, they do play a part in the puzzle solving and general state of the valley/health mechanic, but it’s the running and jumping, and later swinging, that is really great. So join this First-Person adventure into the wilderness of excitement and suspense!

When you first start off, you move about standard speed for what you’d expect from a “walking simulator”, which is what I was expecting The Valley to be like. And then you get the bionic exoskeleton. And then you start running. And you find a hill. And you run down the hill. And then time and space bleeds into one as you break all known laws of physics with how fast you run. And then you find a small hill. And you jump off the hill at full bore. And then the Doctor Who theme starts playing.


Seriously though, the game sets you up at the beginning to be a slow paced walking type deal, and then you get this old military suit and you’re running around faster than a cheetah, jumping over huge gaps, and just flying around with a combination of science and magic, and it feels really great. As you meander through the world of “The Valley”, picking up medals and acorns, to let you into hidden bonus areas, you’ll snag upgrades that let you swing, double jump, fire life at dead plants/animals, and enemies, and siphon it out of creatures or plants.

The life energy is an interesting idea, as whenever you die, most likely by walking into a puddle you didn’t realize was there because the texture is about 96% transparent and sinking, you “eat” a portion of the “life energy” in the valley to bring you back. The more you die, the more the valley dies. If you exhaust the life force of the valley, then you can’t be brought back anymore. You can also fling life energy at violent creatures to pacify them, which gets more useful as the game progresses.

As you explore the rather vast region, you want to keep your eye out for possible upgrades. Some are easy to find, some really aren’t. Sometimes you can spend 30 minutes making your way through an area, only to realize there isn’t actually anything there, and the devs just put it in for no reason. On the plus side, if you return to a completed area, the game notifies you of what you’re missing, although you aren’t given any hints as to where those things might be.


That’s the crux of The Valley: you run, jump, shoot, and play god with the power over life and death that you now hold thanks to your super bionic legs. The game definitely isn’t perfect, as I kept on tearing at plotholes and weird environment sizing, design choices, or in-game explanations or choices. I mean, only people with the bionic suits could realistically get anywhere, and the game even has a note commenting about engineers dying trying to install stuff for the select group of suit-wearers to fling themselves around. And the notes, my word the notes, it’s like if everyone didn’t write down what they were thinking they would explode.

The worst is probably a note that blatantly admits to stealing office supplies and maybe engaging in illegal activities, or calling your boss “an egomaniacal madman”. WHO LEAVES A NOTE LYING AROUND LIKE THAT?!?

But seriously, that’s nothing compared to the “justification” for the trek to the end-game area. All I can say, is that I seriously hope whoever trained their engineers is court marshaled and shot for crimes against my sanity. Legitimately, throughout the entire last three or so areas, I kept having to repeat to myself “Why in the name of all that is even remotely holy would you even CONSIDER designing something this way”. Extremely poor design/engineering practices aside, I did have fun going through the last few areas, despite my dwindling sanity, and the game as a whole just felt really good to run, jump, climb, explore, and swing through.

Don’t be judgemental like me and discount it on first appearance, because it’s really fun.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
Blue Isle Studios
Publisher(s):
Blue Isle Studios
Genre(s):
Adventure
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher




Article by Richard
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Kill la Kill - IF Releasing in July!



PQube (London, UK) - March 20th, 2019 - PQube is pleased to announce that Arc System Works and Studio TRIGGER’s KILL la KILL – IF will be releasing on 26th July in Europe on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and on 25th July for PC/Steam worldwide.

The team is proud to introduce the new and original artwork for the game, drawn by Mr. Sushio, who was in charge of the character design in the original TV anime 'Kill la Kill'.

Additional Characters!

Two new playable characters "Mako Mankanshoku" and "Ultimate Double Naked DTR" will be available to download as free characters. More details about the characters to come at a later date.

Limited Edition - confirmed for Europe!

KILL la KILL - IF: Limited Edition details revealed!
・Mr. Sushio’s main artwork for Limited Edition.
・Original Artbook
・Original Soundtrack
・Mak-Roquette Squeezie

This lovely Limited Edition will have 1500 copies available in Europe, with selected retailers in the UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, and more! The retailers will be announced on social media at a later date.


Mako to the rescue!

A pre-order bonus will be avaible at selected retailers across Europe - the super cool 'Fight Club-spec Two-Star Goku Uniform President Mako Mankanshoku' Keychain! Stay tuned on social media and our website to know where this will be available!

10 characters confirmed!

The new trailer confirms 10 playable characters -inluding brand new characters and the dual-wielding Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin- and teases for more to come in the future! All characters will have their unique fighting style and two DLC characters are already confirmed!

Modes galore!

Enjoy a brand new Story Mode, with never-seen before anime segments of the 'IF' story, written by the legend Kazuki Nakashima.There is so much more to the game with Training Mode (includes Tutorial and Covers Challenge), Gallery Mode (watch replays and create your own diorama!) and Online Mode where you can play Ranked or in standard Player Match.

KILL la KILL – IF will release on 26th July on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch in Europe, and on 25th July on PC/Steam.

Stay in the loop on everything Arc System Works on 
Official homepage: https://arcsystemworks.com/


For more information and the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Instagram and our official website: http://pqube.co.uk/kill-la-kill

About Arc System Works

Arc System Works is a Japan-based game development company, renowned for their unique and highly artistic 2D fighting action games. They have a proven track record with their big hit series: Blazblue and Guilty Gear, among many other games of all kinds of genre under their belt. From planning to production to marketing, Arc System Works believes in constant value-adding for their products, striving relentlessly towards the aim of staying ahead in the forefront technology of gaming, and producing flavorful character designs to form the foundation of their extensive Intellectual properties. https://arcsystemworks.com/

About PQube

PQube is a publisher, distributor and service provider for the interactive entertainment industry with a global reach through UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia and North and South America from its offices in Letchworth, Paris, Bristol and Bawtry. As a licensed publisher with Sony, Valve and Nintendo and Apple, PQube’s software division publishes and distributes games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita,Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PC and digital download and has established a track record of success with major franchises including: Gal*Gun, Chaos;Child, Valkyrie Drive, Cat Quest, White Day, Root Letter, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, MotoGP, Ride, MXGP, Harvest Moon, Senran Kagura and Steins Gate. PQube’s hardware division designs, manufactures and distributes consoles and accessories including the brand-new Atari ‘Retro’ range, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, SmartBoy, Retron 5, SupaBoy SFC, Sega MegaDrive, Atari Flashback and Blaze Tab. We thank all our partners and acknowledge all game names, brands and trademarks as properties of their respective owners. pqube.co.uk/games 

Article by Susan N.
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The Princess Guide - PS4 Review


You know how in movies, games, or books, whenever there’s a war going on there’s always one fighter that makes or breaks the battle? You ever wanted to be that one fighter? To beat up tons of monsters or enemies, to command a unit, go on adventures, re-purpose local traps for your own units or teach princesses how to conquer the world? Well then, it’s a good thing we have “The Princess Guide”.

In The Princess Guide you take on the role of a nameless knight (or rather you name them) who has fought in many battles, and has felled many a strong beast. Apparently you’ve also written a few books, including a tourist guide. Feeling as though you wish for something more than just battle in your life, you decide to branch out, and become an instructor! Incidentally, the four princesses of the world have requested for an instructor, and they all have…shall we say, unique, personalities. You start your adventure by picking what you Knight of LegendTM looks like, with a bunch of options for gender, voice, personality, and visual appearance. Although most of it won’t really mean a whole lot to you when you first start, your choices do actually affect your commander, albeit just the personality, as far as I’m aware.

You may then choose which princess you’d like to start off with, colour coded for your convenience. You have Liliarte, the blue glutinous warrior princess, Veronica, the red witch of destruction and overtime pay, Monomaria, the yellow destitute mercenary princess, and Alpana, the green sadist dragon princess-nun-saint-or-such princess. Being the man of action that I am, I chose blue, because it was the default option. You start out with an introduction to the princess you’ve chosen, and then cycle through them all once before you’re asked to choose which one you’d like to stick it out with.


This is really nice for giving you a glimpse at each character before locking you into a route, and you get to play as all of them at least once. It also helps that you retain experience for your commander and equipment when swapping over, so you’re literally given a power-level stick after the first princess, which is nice to keep the game flowing, but isn’t so overpowered that the end of the scenario is a cake walk either. There’s multiple endings, post-game content, and a new game plus option, so there’s a lot of room for re-playability as well.

So how does Princess Guide actually play? That’s a question I was struggling with a bit early on. Essentially, instead of teaching the princesses politics or manners (especially not manners), it’s your job to teach them how to fight, and common sense. Especially common sense. Gameplay is a weird combination of three different styles.

The first is a top-down brawler type combat, where you take a squad of up to three pairs (or six units, if you will) with you into a “mission”, and you walk around the map beating up baddies, or ordering your units to do it for you. You can also have them help you “capture” relics, which are basically Indiana Jones style traps, that when captured act on your behalf, instead of the enemies. It takes time to capture them, and they’re generally limited use, but they can definitely turn a battle around for you. Maps tend to be fairly small, and you only have a 15 minute limit to complete them in, so until you hit the bonus dungeon that was about 5 floors deeper than I was expecting it to be, the time limit isn’t much of an issue.


Your second style is a sort of unit management deal, where you have nodes on a grid and can deploy units from your home base to walk around the map. If you walk into a monster icon, battle begins. It’s important to note that time passes in “hours” while in this map mode, and some missions are on a limited timer. You can deploy as many squads as you have commanders for, and can withdraw to the home base from anywhere, but you need to wait five in game “hours” to re-deploy. Thankfully there’s a “speed up” button that makes it more like 5 seconds. Something to note is that if your units die in battle, while their levels are “carried over”, neither you nor the units with you heal after battle, you keep that health, until you withdraw. If you lose a full set of units under your command, you’ll have to re-hire them for a price (a small price mind you), although their levels will be the same.

The last style dealt with is a sort of management/grooming sim, where you manage your squadrons and teach your princess. How do you teach her? Well, there’s a rather complicated yet straightforward process for that. As you perform certain tasks, such as defeating certain enemy types or progressing through the story, you unlock “titles”. These titles must then be “learned”, through either the “motivation” system, or by meeting some objective in a mission.

Objectives range from completing a mission within a certain time limit, to beating a certain type of enemy, or maybe even “killing x number of enemies using a captured relic”. The ones obtained from the motivation system are gained through “verbal reinforcement” during a mission. Basically, three times during a mission you can scold or praise the princess. Depending on the situation, this gives different buffs, and increases learning for what I call the “passive” title. You also have points during the story where you can scold/praise the princesses as well, and each will react differently and earn different title exp depending on response timing. You can only have one title of each type equipped at a time, but they can be swapped in the base menu, and they automatically change to the next in line upon being learnt, which is super handy if you want to leanr more than two titles per mission.


Now that you know how to earn, and learn, a title, it’s time to use the title. Yes, you have to use titles. This is the part that confused me, as well as when first introduced to titles, I had no idea the difference between the combat related and praise/scold related titles. In the base menu, as long as the princess isn’t deployed, you can go to the “princess training” option, which has Training, Knowledge material (what I’ve referred to as “titles”), virtual training, and diary.

The diary is basically a mini synopsis and character reference, but nothing too fancy. Virtual training is a (mostly) fun 8-bit style minigame, of which there are three different types, one for each princess, except blue and green share the same type. I found them really fun, and you do earn item, titles, and money for completing them, but I swear, if I see another godsdamned dumbbell again I’m gonna punch somebody. Either way, to train your princess, she needs to have a certain level of “learning capacity”, which is indicated by a heart split in three sections. Different ranked titles have different capacity requirements, and will consume that capacity.

Capacity is then earned by completing story related missions. Big thing to note here is that the little number symbol near the heart with the plus sign means that’s how many more full heart symbols of capacity you have left. This totally confused me at first, because I didn’t notice it and then learned more title than I thought I had the capacity for. Each title comes with different stat points, and teaching said title increases the associated stat. At set benchmarks, the princess will learn a new skill, or have new units become requitable. This is also how you upgrade “yourself”, as each taught title earns you stat points for your “personal” commander, that you can use to enhance stats like defense or attack.


The music was a lot more catchy than I had anticipated, and the graphics were pretty sharp in the usual JRPG anime style portraits and landscapes. One serious complaint I have is how…dynamic the character portraits are. Everytime someone talks, they bounce around like someone put them in a paint shaker, which I found to be super annoying. Some missions are rather infuriating due to the time limit, especially if they spawn on the other side of a large map and you need to drag your butt over there before they disappear.

Also, towards the end of the game the map spawns a ridiculous amount of monster tokens, and although they’re super easy to beat, they are a pain in the butt to be certain. A handy feature the developpers added is the “training” missions that become permanent fixtures on the map, and allow you to replay a random stage you’ve been through. Perfect when training new recruits or trying to learn a title with a specific enemy/relic requirement.

Overall I enjoyed Princess Guide more than I was expecting, which is definitely a good thing. Are there some issues with the game? Yes, but not to the level that makes it unplayable or seriously detracts from the gameplay. The stages can get a little repetitive at times, and I would have liked the sub-missions to not appear at the worst timing possible, but it isn’t too bad unless you plan on marathoning it. Which brings up the major thing I kept thinking of whenever I played: “this would be good on a handheld”. I played this on the PS4, but I really felt as if it would lend itself a lot better to something like a Vita or DS, where you can play for a bit, then leave it in standby for a bit. This is probably a bit better on the Switch, since it can actually function as a sort of handheld. Despite these issues, I did have fun playing.

While The Princess Guide has an interesting concept, and the systems meshed rather nicely when I got used to them, there are some points that need a more in-depth tutorial, or at least an accessible tutorial after you’ve seen it, instead of having to start a new game to re-read something you missed. It may not be anything that’s redefining the genre, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed either.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 4
Developer(s):
Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher(s):
NIS America
Genre(s):
Action
RPG
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Nintendo Switch

Source:
Provided by Publisher




Article by Richard
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Vehicular Battle Royale notmycar hits Early Access in April!


March 15, 2019 (LOS ANGELES, Calif.) – From publisher Skybound Games and developer NMC Studios, notmycar drops players onto a massive island battleground where they must outlast the competition to remain the last car standing. Drop, drive and destroy with automotive fury and an arsenal of brutal weapons and abilities in all-out vehicular battle royale mayhem. You’ll need a tight ride and all the cunning, skills and guts you can muster to win the fast-paced, tire-squealing chaos that is notmycar.

notmycar will be available to play for free on Windows PC on April 5th via Steam Early Access! A Founders’ Week kicks off on launch day and runs through April 12th, rewarding the game’s earliest players with an exclusive custom paint job for notmycar’s one and only pick-up truck of punishment – The Beast. All that play during Founders’ Week will get The Beast custom paint job for free.

To celebrate the forthcoming Early Access launch, Skybound and NMC Studios have also just released a new video about The Beast here.

Game Features:


Drop: Get a double-shot of adrenaline as you freaking glide your car into each match. Pick the best landing zone on a massive island battleground that gets smaller and smaller, driving all your enemies right into your sights.

Drive: Customize your battle wagon to the nines so your worthless enemies know fear as they spot you on the horizon and remember exactly who blasted them into oblivion. Flags, paint-jobs and more: it's all up to you.

Destroy: It’s pedal-to-the-metal as you race to snatch the best weapons from caches all over the island. Second place is the first loser, so show no mercy and fight your way to the top of the junk heap to be the last car standing!

Players interested in the game, can register on www.notmycar.com for up-to-the minute news, reminders and exclusive offers or follow notmycar on Twitter.


About Skybound Games

Skybound Games is a division of Skybound Entertainment that publishes video games and tabletop games, focusing on unique and exceptional independently developed IP. Skybound Games expanded into the videogames space in 2018, led by CEO Ian Howe. The current slate of games includes Slime Rancher by Monomi Park, The Long Dark by Hinterland, Skullgirls by Lab Zero Games, and Death’s Gambit with Adult Swim Games and White Rabbit. Skybound Games also took ownership of Telltale’s The Walking Dead in October 2018.

Tabletop games include The Grimm Forest with James Hudson and Druid City Games, Pitchstorm with Ben Kepner, and Superfight and Red Flags with Jack Dire.

Skybound Games can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Article by Susan N.
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Fate/Extella Link - PS4 Review


Fans of the Fate/ series or just those that like the action / brawler style of 'Warriors' games should find a great deal to like here as this mashup of the two works really, really well. I enjoyed Fate/Extella came around, and Fate/Extella Link does everything the original did only better.

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Jaggy's Corner - Sunday March 24th


Okay. Internet. Please. Stop...

Why am I beginning with that? Because, it bugs me that once again people blew a situation out of proportion without considering other factors. Again.

This week what I'm talking about is Epic Games and the internet boycotting the company because of a silly scrapper file. Now, before you jump down my ass, let me explain why I feel like this whole situation is ridiculous.

First: The internet decided to uninstall the Epic Games launcher because of this discovered scrapping file that would access information IF - and only IF - users imported their Steam friends list into the Epic Launcher. But, people were more disgusted by the idea that Epic Games could see what types of games a person plays. Honestly, I don't see why that is an issue. A Steam game list is publicly available unless the user has their profile set to private. I also don't see an issue with this because I imagine the company wanted to collect this information to better market video games that people enjoy. As in, this is what targeted marketing is, and it's done by platforms like Google and Facebook whether you know it or not.

Second: The Epic Game Launcher has only existed for a year or two, meaning that they would still have a long way to go in order to effectively compete against platforms like Steam (which we'll get to later). I think it's ridiculous to think that a company is going to magically have the numbers to compete with other platforms in such a short period of time. People seem to think that's how the world works, but really it isn't. Companies have to make a lot of decisions in order to be successful, which includes bad ones. One cannot grow without having some great struggles. 

Third: I fully believe that Steam needs to have competition because, let's face it, Steam has done some horrendous things in the past.

To synthesize my thoughts about this 'security breach', let me first talk about some of the good things about Epic Games.

Since inception it has had substantial growth because of the hit title Fortnite (and if that is an unfamiliar title, you've literally been living under a rock. There are posters of Ninja in retail stores in my city. Imagine: a Twitch streamer has freaking posters for sale to the general public. Think about this.) While I'm not a Fortnite player, I can respect the fact that Epic made a huge splash in the industry with that title. Epic Games also boosted their reach by deciding to offer one game for free on a biweekly basis. Not only that, it is widely known that Epic Games is offering a greater profit split with the games developers. In essence, this is what makes Epic Games a more attractive platform to do business with, especially considering how cost prohibitive game development can be. Gone are the days where indie developers struggle with platforms to offer their games, so for Epic to offer a better monetary split is actually a very good thing. As a slight sidestep, this means game developers can use the money they make on producing better quality games instead of releasing subpar titles like say Fallout 76... (It's not my kind of game.. don't at me!)


Now, many are upset that Epic Games is 'stealing personal information' because of this scrapper program that is directly installed onto a person's system. People have equated it to malicious spyware, which it isn't. Epic has stated that they only collect data with permission. While I can say that I don't agree with its implementation and reasoning behind the program, it angers me more that people are SIDING WITH STEAM like they are some majestic unicorn that can do no wrong.

Steam: The platform that requires a paid fee in order to offer a game on the platform. It's the platform that said they were no longer going to regulate what is available to buy like its collection of hentai games, asset flips, or absolute garbage like "Rape Day" (which was thankfully removed from the platform, but not because it broke the new Steam policy. They removed the game because they were afraid of getting sued.) And DO NOT THINK that the developer of that game gets a free pass either. He basically stated something along the lines of 'my game was not meant to be on a platform like Steam...' Oh really? You willingly paid that fee. You actively set up the store page. And you filled in all the relevant information about the 'game'. Clearly you were drugged at the time or forced into putting your game on the platform... Right. Keep lying to yourself.

Anyways, back to the point. Steam is a platform that people have actively review bombed games for less than legitimate reasons. And despite all of the issues that Steam had with their previous Greenlight system, people seem to be more upset about Epic Games knowing their game list. Considering how people discovered the issue as well as the less than spectacular PR work done about those breaches since they've become public knowledge, I gawk at the idea that people are upset about this kind of information collecting.


Are you worried that you can't play your games? If you already have a list on Steam, then keep playing them there. Epic isn't stopping people from using another platform. They are providing an alternative. And if you are worried about having access to games because Humble Bundle gives out game codes for Steam, Epic has already stated that they have partnered up with Humble Bundle too! But honestly, people are upset because they are being forced to buying their games on another platform after being 'promised' a launch on a platform. I hate to break it to you but it's not like you have to buy a whole new system to play a PC game on a different launcher. This isn't the console wars where one has to decide if they like the exclusives on PlayStation versus Xbox and then buying the system that those games are released on. What does it really matter when it comes to PC gaming? There is no extra investment for you! Furthermore, Epic Games has stated that they would be giving people a $10 discount on Metro Exodus because it was supposed to be a Steam exclusive game. I don't know about you, but I call that a win.

Instead, you'd rather allow Epic Games to take a colossal hit in favor of Steam who has blatantly hidden certain game tags from being discovered, who has decided to wash their hands of any controversy with respect to video games, and who has a policy that is ambiguous at best. It feels a lot like users are just being butthurt for the sake of being butthurt. The Epic Games launcher is still fairly new, they don't have the same library of games, nor does the platform have the same features as its competitors. And I'm not the only one who thinks Epic Games will make the industry better. To prove my point on that, here is an interview with Rami Ismail about Epic Games and the why he believes Epic Games is good.

To think that people are up in arms because a game list is 'their personal information', I am going to quote this article from Extreme Tech:

"In a world where Facebook deliberately shares private and personal information on tens of millions of people with companies that never should have been allowed to see it, the idea that scanning a single file for a list of friends you won’t even upload without permission would constitute a privacy violation is pretty laughable by comparison."

I tend to agree with the author of that article.


However, this doesn't mean Epic Games gets a free pass. The idea that the company might not be liable for information collected without permission is a bad thing. It's also something that game companies have done before with much more brutal results like the piece I wrote about ArenaNet installing spyware onto people's systems so that they could ban users that had programs which could exploit or alter their game coding. It ended poorly in that ArenaNet had to spend time unbanning a bunch of accounts for erroneously hitting game developers that use these programs for their own projects. In reading my article, people would be aware that I am against this kind practice because I believe that the EULA does not extend to a person's whole computer. I explained that it's one thing to scan owned property to make sure files haven't been tampered with, but it's a completely separate issue to look at someone's whole computer for programs that can potentially be exploited.

Epic games needs to be held accountable for their actions, but that doesn't mean the internet should pull the trigger and then ask questions later. They are offering an alternative to Steam that up until now had little to no competition. There are bound to be bumps in the road and this is one of them. Still, I believe that companies can be redeemed and as such, I'm not giving up Epic because of this one issue - especially considering the alternatives. And as for Steam, I'm willing to use other launchers that will support games that are not absolute dumpster fires, despite the fact that I play most of my games through Steam. Because Epic Games does have partnerships with Humble Bundle and other game developers, I'm willing to give them that chance. And I would rather not have to deal with crappy asset flips, terrible business practices, and controversies galore in favor of a platform that is willing to give gamers quality products and developers a fair share of their profits.

But that's just me. You don't have to agree.

Until next time.

Article by Susan N.
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Volcanoids - First Person Steampunk Survival Game in Early Access


Save Your Home From The Invasion Of Mechanical Beings!

Volcanoids challenges you to partake in an expedition to a forsaken volcanic island you once knew as home. In a world where humans clash with technology the once wondrous place has now transformed into a barren wasteland. To survive its natural elements, you must outsmart the creatures roaming the place and capture one of their drill ships. By every means necessary you can take advantage of their own technology to use against them on your mission to reclaim your homeland.

Volcanoids offers the tension and thrill of surviving volcanic eruptions, where bursts of time in between are a valuable resource to your cause. Roam the island, gather materials, discover new technologies and utilize production. Take the vantage point from your mobile base, stay safe underground or choose a location rich on material to explore. A drillship can serve as a factory and armored base as you play. Automate production, research technologies, set up a perimeter of defense and transform your customized drillship into a powerful base. Hostile race of robots must be dealt with swiftly and their units are quickly infesting areas above as well as below ground.

Volcanoids is available on STEAM

Game Website: www.volcanoids.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Volcanoids/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/volcanoids
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/volcanoids/



Article by Susan N.
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Warhammer: Chaosbane - PC Preview


Warhammer: Chaosbane is the next Warhammer title coming out hoping to break the streak of garbage attached to the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 franchises. Generally speaking, few have done this. The Total War: Warhammer titles, Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2, and … that is about it for recent titles. Enter Chaosbane, a hack-and-slash RPG in the vein of Titan Quest or Diablo, set in a war-torn world where, you guessed it, Chaos is up to no good, doing Chaos-like things (destroying villages, sacrificing people, that sort of thing). You are to rise up, push back the Chaos Horde, and you are going to do it in a mad clicking manner. While it is too early to really see if Chaosbane is the one to bring me out of the decade-long slump of Warhammer trash, but from what I was able to see in the recent Closed Beta, I am cautiously optimistic about it.

I would like to point out that Warhammer: Chaosbane is still in development so there could be elements within the game that will change between now and the planned June 4 release. The two betas that I have been involved in have both been a bit rough on the edges, which to start was quite a concern given the history of Warhammer video games, but after getting through the technical issues and on to the gameplay, I was beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. With the Chaosbane betas I was able to roll both the Empire Soldier and the High Elf Mage and after spending a handful of hours with each I was able to jot a few things about the two classes down and unfortunately not much is overwhelmingly good.

Before I get into the nuances of each of the classes, or what I have seen of the story so far, I would like to bring up a few of the good things about Chaosbane. First is amongst the most important; the *feel* of it is suitable grimdark. Even in its brightest moments, the entire Warhammer universe is heavy grimdark with its gothic spires, gratuitous gore, and lots of sacrificing. Lots of it.


As a hack-and-slash game, which I think would be more adequately described as “looter-slasher,” Chaosbane does quite well; plenty of appropriate loot dropped for both the Soldier and the Mage, though in the case of the third “mission” it seemed that I was getting loot so often that I needed to stop every two to three minutes of gameplay and re-equip myself (it is stuff like this that I am hoping can be ironed out easily between now and launch).

Combat, minus a few oddities, is deliciously crunchy, with big hits feeling like big hits, and waves of enemies falling to your blade/magic in spectacular fashion. I do wish I could comment on the story, except the first few hours of the game are basically the introductory section, showing you the ropes, adding skills, establishing the overarching story, and letting you “warm up” on a few hundred enemies. It was largely a positive experience, but it is still too early to really tell … and that is a MASSIVE concern since the game launches in 3 months.

On to what I would call “issues” … Sweet heavens and by all that is good and Holy, please allow us to remap controls and turn down the sensitivity of the cursor. Also? Add a button, like CTRL or Shift that allow you to stand still and attack since right now, Soldiers look a lot like a gaggle of caffeinated toddlers that are stuck in a small room waiting for Santa Clause to come visit; they constantly move, often miss their mark, and sweet heavens it is a great way to break any sort of “immersion” you might get from Chaosbane purely under the idea that the Soldier is faster than Usain Bolt and can run marathons at that speed. It is ridiculous. Plus it is a pain in the pantaloons to play effectively.

The inability to stand firm and attack is also a huge problem for the Mage; your spells are guided, so that means you fire off a spell and then use the cursor to guide the enemy … Which would be cool, except for every click your stupid-ass Mage goes running into the very bad guys he is trying to make dead! Rebinding keys would not even fix that; rethinking the mechanic as a whole would be needed, especially since Mages are squishy and the action happens so fast that you do not have all the time in the world to be clicking on all sorts of things hoping to kill them before your stupid mage goes running off into danger. Plus, the WASD keys are so stupidly assigned to character screens or abilities, while ALSO tying 1,2,3,4 to abilities. The number key assignments are indicative of WASD movement controls but … nope; it’s all Mr. Clicks on the mouse … It is all really poorly designed and makes me sad.


On the other hand, the controller side of things, is WONDERFUL. If you play a Mage; it sucks as a Soldier. Badly. Again, these are things I am really concerned with being able to be “fixed” by launch. If they are still prevalent in launch then Chaosbane will likely fall to obscurity due to the garbage controls; if the two classes available not only feel the same (Mage is supposed to be high DPS and/or Crowd Control, Soldier is supposed to be Tank; from what I saw there needs to be a lot of balancing put in place as the Mage and Tank both equally felt like DPS’ers, with neither being able to tank nor being able to maintain crowd control), but also require completely different input sources (keyboard + mouse for Soldier, controller for Mage), then it is going to be rough. Very, very rough. If the other classes roll out and are essentially reskinned ideas of the soldier with one or two gimmicks to separate them, Chaosbane is going to suck. Badly. Fortunately there is time, though that is quickly disappearing.

Warthammer: Chaosbane has a lot to potentially offer; fast-paced dungeon-diving hack-and-slash set in a long-running grimdark franchise. The core structure is there in Chaosbane, but it is pretty rough around the edges. However, as mentioned, there is time; but it seems that there is a lot that might need to be done before launch, especially if the things I am hoping are chalked up to being betas, like the user interface, are actually considered “complete” … Fortunately the UI easily looked like early access stuff with no polish; it will likely change. Sure, I had a lot to say that is pretty negative, but I largely see the potential and given the fact I am alarmingly starved for even a decent Warhammer-related game, I am desperately hoping Eko Software. They have three months to pull ahead of the game and be THE hack-and-slash “looter-slasher” that folks are going to be playing for a long time coming.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
Eko Software
Publisher(s):
Bigben Interactive
Genre(s):
Hack & Slash
Mode(s):
Single Player
Multiplayer
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4 (on Launch)
Microsoft Xbox One (on Launch)

Source:
Provided by Publisher



Article by Robert
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