New Federations and Lithoids Expansions for Stellaris Announced!

STOCKHOLM - Oct. 19, 2019 - Paradox Interactive, a publisher and developer of games where this only sometimes means war, today announced on stage at PDXCON 2019 that Stellaris will get a major diplomacy-themed expansion with Federations later this year. The pen is mightier than the plasma launcher in this expansion that focuses on the galactic community and its internal politics with expanded capabilities for federations and the establishment of a powerful galactic senate. Additionally, Paradox announced a new species pack including a race of sapient rocks, or Lithoids, with rock solid new gameplay which is available for pre-order now for a suggested retail price of $7.99 / £5.79 / €7.99 and will launch on October 24.

Check out the Lithoids and Federations trailers below! The Federations Expansion and Lithoids Species Pack can be pre-ordered at a storefront of one’s choice below:

Federations Expansion

Paradox Plaza: www.paradoxplaza.com/stellaris-federations/STST01DSK9877899.html
Steam: store.steampowered.com/1140001
GOG: www.gog.com/game/stellaris_federations

Lithoids Species Pack

Paradox Plaza: www.paradoxplaza.com/stellaris-lithoids-species-pack/STST01DSK6546546.html
Steam: store.steampowered.com/1140000
GOG: www.gog.com/game/stellaris_lithoids_species_pack

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. With the Stellaris: Federations expansion, players can extend their diplomatic dominion over the galaxy like never before. Use every trick in the book to gain an edge on friend and foe alike, with a host of new options to influence, manipulate, and dominate without firing a shot.

Federations features include:

• Expanded Federations: With expanded diplomacy capabilities, players can build up the internal cohesion of their Federations and unlock powerful rewards for all members. Whether you join a Trade League, Martial Alliance, or Hegemony, membership can be extremely advantageous. 
• Galactic Community: Unite the space empires with a galactic senate that can vote on a wide range of resolutions to drive legislative agendas. For example, players can pass a resolution to increase commitments to collective defense or funnel profit towards wealthy elites. Members can also sanction those who defy the community, and enact a single galactic focus. Sway the senate to position yourself as a leader, trading favors and maneuvering, doing whatever it takes to gain influence among schemers.
• Origins: Each empire has a story that shapes its path. Give your civilization deeper roots with the new system of Origins. By choosing an Origin, players can flesh out their empire’s background and alter its starting conditions. Whether it’s Void Dwellers who have abandoned their homeworld to live in perpetual orbit, or a society that worships and protects a powerful Tree of Life, you can lay the groundwork wisely for the seeds of your empire.
• New Constructions: Construct glorious new projects for your empire like the Juggernaut, a massive mobile starbase that provides a moveable repair base even in enemy territory, or the Mega Shipyard, a new megastructure that can churn out fleets with incredible speed. Offering both tactical advantages and a good dose of shock and/or awe, these are sure to be an asset to any space empire.

Lithoids Species Pack includes: 

In addition, the Lithoids Species Pack features not only completely new gameplay but also a selection of new rock-based species portraits and ship models for players who take nothing for granite and are looking to unearth a more grounded civilization. Lithoids are a bigger and boulder species type made entirely of sapient rock who eat minerals for sustenance, are long-lived, and can colonize in almost any environment.

Players can look forward to trying out the entirely new Lithoid play style that focuses on mineral production, relentless colonization of even the most marginal worlds, and refusing to cede an inch of your empire - for sedimental value. The Lithoids Species Pack includes:

• Unique Mechanics for Lithoid Empires
• 15 New Portraits of Lithoids and 1 of a Lithoid robot
• New Mineral-based Ship Models 
• New voice pack

For more information about Stellaris, visit http://www.stellarisgame.com/

About Paradox Interactive

Paradox Interactive is a leading global publisher of strategy games for PC and console. The company has developed and published a world-renowned catalog stretching back to 1999, with players hailing from all around the world.

The publisher’s steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris series created by Paradox Development Studio, the Age of Wonders series created by Triumph Studios, as well as award-winning titles such as Cities: Skylines, Pillars of Eternity, and more from a network of partner studios. Paradox is the owner of the World of Darkness IPs and is publishing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2.

Paradox’s head offices are located in Stockholm, Sweden. Our development studios are located in Stockholm, Malmö and Umeå, Sweden, in Delft, The Netherlands, in Seattle, Washington, and in Berkeley, California. We share a passion for gaming and gamers, and our goal is to provide deep and challenging games with hours of gameplay and endless variety to our ever-growing community.

For more information, please visit our forums and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Comet sighted!

Article by Susan N.

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Sega Ages: Ichidant-R - Switch Review

Sega Ages: Ichidant-R is an interesting release, because most of the titles from the Sega Ages series has focused on popular games that all of us had access to years ago when the Sega Genesis was alive and well. Ichidant-R changes things up a bit, providing a bunch of mini-games thrown into a title that was only available in Japan. So while this is an older game with quite a following over there, it is a relative unknown in these parts, which is a game because this collection of party mini-games is actually a lot of goofy fun.

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Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered - XB1 Review

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered tosses you into the role of a rookie member of the team. While he may be new to all of this and have a lot to learn, fans of the movie should feel right at home with some familiar voices, faces and places from this updated release of an already entertaining title. Closing in on the Halloween season, this action game is more treat than trick.

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The Fisherman - Fishing Planet Now Available on Most Platforms!

Lesquin, France, October 17, 2019 – BIGBEN and Fishing Planet LLC studios are proud to announce The Fisherman – Fishing Planet is now available! Fishing lovers all over the world now can experience this all-in-one version of the hit free-to-play game Fishing Planet and its exclusive contents on PC, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One.

The Fisherman – Fishing Planet is for all nature and sport fishing fans! The premium version of Fishing Planet, which sets the standard for fishing simulators and already boasts 7 million players, combines all the content released to date in one package: the equivalent of more than 35 DLCs as well as features exclusive to this premium version of the game. By moving from a free-to-play model with paid content to a premium model, it guarantees players will be able to enjoy a complete and immersive experience.

The Fisherman – Fishing Planet content:

• 143 species of fish with realistic behaviour
• 19 beautiful water locations with authentic backgrounds and vegetation
• Thousands of tackle combinations possible, each with unique properties
• Dynamic weather with a day/night cycle and different seasons
• Online competitions playable solo or co-op, with a trophies and ranking system
• Including exclusive contents:

1 new waterway:  La Creuse, in France
1 new fishing technique: trolling
4 new fish species to catch:

• Common Nase – La Creuse, France
• European Weatherfish - Lesní Víla Fishery, Czech Republic
• Sterlet – Akhtouba River, Russia
• Spotted Gar - Mudwater River, Missouri, USA

2 new motorboats:

•  « Garry Scott Taurus » boat
•  « Flaggmann Vega » boat

Grab your tackle, season starts today on PC, Playstation®4, and Xbox One.

About Bigben

Bigben, a leading publisher of video games on PC and consoles, is known for its creativity and innovation. After its acquisition of four development studios (Cyanide, Eko, KT Racing and Spiders), which are all internationally recognized for their expertise in different genres, Bigben is strengthening its position as a developer and publisher of premium games and is aiming to become the world's leading AA publisher. www.bigben.fr

About Fishing Planet LLC

Fishing Planet LLC is a game studio founded in 2012 specialized in developing most realistic first-person fishing simulator. It comprises a team of professionals both from video game industry and a selection of other IT sectors such as server-side solutions, AI and security systems.



Article by Susan N.

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Sega Ages - Columns II: The Voyage Through Time - Switch Review

While Sega Ages - Columns II: The Voyage Through Time works with a somewhat simplistic concept for a puzzle game, the execution of this title makes it a good value for fans such as myself who have strong feelings of nostalgia for the Columns series.

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Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers - Switch Review

Taking it from the top, Destiny Connect is the story of Sherry and her quest to save her town from being annihilated by robots that used to be friends with humans. Judged upon the actions of a few, almost all robots were decimated thirty years before the beginning of our tale and they are back again in full force to take revenge on the humans that discarded them even if they were on their side. Touching on a theme that only brings a smile to my face, probably because of my age, the date is new year’s even 1999 and instead of worrying about the Y2K bugs? Sherry has to worry about her world coming to an end!

Finding out that it’s not enough in order to stop the robots in the present, Sherry, her father’s robot Issac and her childhood… best friend? Pegreo are going to have to travel in time in order to set things right. Meeting up with what can only be described as a mad scientist, the group acquire the ability to time travel and what should have only been thirty seconds into the future, turned out to be thirty years in the past.

Time travel is a tricky one and I’m not talking about Chrono Trigger or Back to the Future. It’s really, how do you do it right? How far do you go? Going more in line with Back to the Future though, Destiny Connect is all about time travelling both forward and backwards in the same location through time in order to save it. It’s not about the world, it’s about her town and being able to move about while others have been locked into place as time stands still, Sherry isn’t having any of it, and thus, her adventure continues.

While chatting with Richard about Destiny Connect, as his PS4 review is going to be coming out later this week, we both felt that things were a bit dated for nearing the end of 2019. Feeling to be like it could fit into the late PS2 era ballpark alongside Radiata Stories, it does have a charm even if it never feels like it will excel in the realm of JRPGs. It uses bright colours even in the most dismal of areas. It has a cast of characters that look friendly or “cute” even if they are killer robot appliances. It’s charming in its old schooled-ness and it does provide a good enough time even if it does nothing new.

Each part of the town, or city as you come to realize because of how much space it ends up spanning, is traversed on foot through streets or pathways. Some areas are larger than others, but for the most part, the way that it's been designed is to make you need to either run into enemies to get by, or to really learn how to ninja past if you truly do not want to have to deal with them at that moment in time. Each area is really straight forward leaving next to no chance of getting lost unless you take that one little curve here or there and forget which way you came from. Short of fighting near the beginning in Save the Queen, a shopping mall that really makes me think of the makai series’ Rosenqueen, you’re really on rails from one cutscene to the next.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I could have used a bit more exploration to go with the grinding. While in a lot of ways Destiny Connect feels like an RPG lite, where you’re just here to enjoy the story but every now and then, it throws you a curveball of a large enemy or a boss fight that needs you to have leveled up your characters. Leveling up itself isn’t enough though. So while you get experience to raise your character’s levels, the grinding becomes a little more real in order to power up each character’s abilities that can only be done with items from defeated foes. Never sure how many of these items that you are going to get, they come in denominations making it either really easy to level up your skills or really hard if you keep getting the basic ones.

Where things are a tad spiced up, is that Issac can go through transformations in order to make himself more versatile. Starting off with the Guardian mode, you eventually gain access to others like that of the Desperado that excels in critical hits to that of the boxer that specializes in accuracy and speed. It doesn’t sound like much but it is important because if Issac dies in battle? That’s game over! Taking a note from the Persona series, it sucks if Issac is taken out because you were in a form that soaked up the damage instead of deflecting it. Healer mode, does not like electricity…

Otherwise, that’s really all there is too it. Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travellers is a cute RPG but it doesn’t do anything new. Adding to a bit more of the I would have enjoyed side of things is that there is also no voice acting whether Japanese or English. Short of the fun soundtrack, it doesn’t hit the notes that it could have, especially with the over expressive characters and the faces that they make. There are some other notes that I would want to make especially in regards to the cast of characters that join up or who are met, but that goes into way too many spoilers. Needless to say, it doesn’t take long to come together and make you wonder how long it’ll take for things to be noticed.

Overall, Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travellers is a fun little RPG for a good sunday afternoon or three that can be easily sat down with a cup of tea. Never too hard, it’s really a throwback to an easier time where things were made to look pretty and be relaxing instead of crazy hard and needing mad skills to complete. That all said, it is a cute adventure and is worth exploring.

Game Information

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

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Asmodee Digital Announces Munchkin: Quacked Quest for All Platforms

PARIS - October 17, 2019 - Asmodee Digital, a leader in video game entertainment inspired by board games, is proud to announce Munchkin: Quacked Quest will be launched on PlayStation®4, Nintendo Switch™, Xbox One, and PC (Steam) on November 19th 2019. A new batch of visuals showcases its unique take on dungeon-crawling.

What is Munchkin: Quacked Quest?

• Genre: dungeon crawler / party-game.
• Number of players: single, up to 4 players (local multiplayer).
• Gameplay: Cooperate with your friends now, betray them later!

Play solo or with up to four players in couch mode and adventure through deadly dungeons where enemies lurk. Be careful, sometimes the most dangerous enemy is sitting right next to you…

Be the fastest, the most cunning, or the most most effective at overcoming the challenges in each dungeon: capture ducks, slay monsters, defeat bosses, while throwing your friends/foes into pits and smashing furniture… everything you wish you could have done at your cousin’s wedding.

Four races and four classes available: become a fashionable Orc Priest or a grumpy Dwarf Wizard, for a total of 16 combinations. (Management will deny any liability in case of a botched spell or missing limb.)

More than 20 weapons for hitting, cutting, shooting, hugging, burning, smashing or knocking down more than 15 different enemies—or friends. Just in case, you know, they get in your way. And if you want to hit harder, run faster, or be even more annoying to the other players, there are nine almost-lethal items to choose from.

Randomly generated dungeons for infinite replay value! You will never need to purchase another game. Ever. #MarketingDPTApproves

Customized experience: choose player mode and game duration and let the backstabbing, loot-grabbing, slaying, and betraying commence!

Munchkin: Quacked Quest is inspired by Munchkin, the award-winning card game, designed by Steve Jackson and winner of the 2001 Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game.

For more information about the game, feel free to visit: https://www.asmodee-digital.com/en/munchkin-quacked-quest/

About Asmodee Digital 

Information about Asmodee Digital can be found on the following social media sites:

• Web 
• Twitch,
• YouTube, 
• Twitter, 
• Instagram and, 
• Facebook.

Article by Susan N.

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Grobo - Mobile Review

Introduction

Grobo is a cute puzzle platformer that immediately pulls players in with a story about a robot that has the ability to shift gravity. It's not a complicated game to understand, especially with the introduction/tutorial, and it has consumed a ton of my time. For a mobile game, of which, I personally don't play many, Grobo has captured my heart and attention.

Gameplay

This is the first mobile title I've done as a review, which meant that I did a bunch of checking of phone specs before I even received the code. Once I was certain that the game would run on my phone and after obtaining the game, I found myself taken in by Grobo. As players progress in the game, there is a story being told right before each level. Certain levels also contain ghosts which will give players more of the backstory of Megatropolis. We, the players, come to understand that Grobo is alone in this world. He wakes up in an area that is quiet and void of other robots (or 'life'), so he embarks on a quest to find answers. Each level is a puzzle that players must complete in order to open up more story bits.

As with any puzzle game, there is a start point and an end point where players must get to, but there are obstacles in the way. Each. level increases in difficulty as the game adds more blocks that stop players from easily making it to the end. It isn't too long before they run into mines that are strategically placed in the middle of the level to force players into solving the puzzles differently. Levels also include certain blocks that will gravity shift with Grobo and players can gravity shift the direction where these movable blocks can act as ground that he can stand on. Beware though, the blocks serve as useful tools for the player but if Grobo is shift gravity the wrong way, he can be squished by the blocks.

Movement on mobile is easy, although it was frustrating on my phone (which I'll touch on later), players can touch and drag their finger across the screen for Grobo to move in a direction. They can also tap their finger on the screen so that Grobo moves a little bit, like to get close to an edge where he can land on another platform. To gravity shift, players flick their finger in the direction they want to go. As an example, if there is a block above Grobo that he needs to land on, the player would flick up. Not only would he be on that northern block, but he would also be upside down to the player.

Grobo has a couple of negative points about it that aren't actual problems but perhaps it is more accurate to call them preferences. My first issue is: depending on the sensitivity of the smart phone, the game will sometimes read an action that isn't intended. This isn't the fault of the game, it's more of a phone issue. For example, my old phone, which I played most of the game on, was frustrating to move Grobo or get the screen to register a gravity shift - often causing me to die. My newer phone responds to the movement of Grobo much better, but has a higher chance of registering a movement that wasn't intended - also leading to my untimely demise. The reason I mention this is that this game could benefit from a touch sensitivity bar much like PC games would have a pointer speed in game (that is separate from the native mouse speed OR the individually set DPI). If not that, my other suggestion might be to have a way that players can move Grobo with directional arrows. By adding a feature like what I just explained, it would help the game be less frustrating for certain situations and allow players to enjoy the game more.

The second minor issue I have with the game is not a requirement but would certainly be helpful, which is that the game only tells players how many moves they need in order to 3 star a level after the fact. But further than that, the real issue here is that many of the levels feel like they only have one solution that players can make. In this case, the reason I feel like this is a con to the game is because many of the levels almost feel like they are holding your hand - leaving little room for creative solving. Grobo suffers from having one clear solution to each level and once a player sees that solution, the game becomes easy.  For a puzzle game, I consider that to be a con - especially since I haven't yet hit a level that I couldn't figure out with a fair amount of ease.

With those things said, neither 'detriment' to the game deters my enjoyment of it. I found Grobo to be fairly easy, cute, and relaxing to play - so long as my phone would let me move! But the real charm of Grobo comes from the story, which is the driving force of the game, in my opinion. It is the idea that Grobo is alone, and players are taking him through these levels in order to find out what happened. Ultimately, that is the reason I quite like this mobile title.

Graphics and Music

Grobo is a polished game. Despite my individual issues with movement because of the touch screen sensitivity levels, the games graphics are quite detailed. It isn't a pixelated game in that appearances can sometimes formulate a persons opinion of a game, but rather it looks fantastic even though players are inside a factory. Grobo is detailed, like in the case of the boxes and the mines. The aesthetic of being inside a factory of a Megatropolis comes across clearly between the music, graphic choices, and background splashes. Moreover, the detailing of the ground makes players feel like they are in different places - as in, the ground is not static. It paints a clear picture for players to immerse themselves in - a fact I appreciate, which is to say that I like stories that are told not just with the obvious indicators but with everything else that creates the atmosphere.

I quite like the music in Grobo, which functions as a relaxing backdrop to the puzzle solving nature of the game. It is smooth and non-intrusive allowing players to focus on the puzzle solutions, and it adds to the atmosphere of the game. The music and sound design in Grobo was done by a company called Phoz who are based in New York City. Its team consists of two people, Alba S. Torremocha and Noah Kellman, who have worked on two other games besides Grobo. More information about Phoz can be found on their Website, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I feel that Grobo is a charming mobile title. While the puzzles don't seem overly complicated, I had a good time playing the game and learning about Megatropolis. It is a neat title that fans of the genre would enjoy, even though the game is fairly short. As such, I give Grobo a 9 out of 10.

Please be sure to follow Hot Chocolate Games on their website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Blog pages. Don't forget to pick up a copy of the game on Android and iOS devices!

Game Information

Platform:
Android OS
Developer(s):
Hot Chocolate Games
Publisher(s):
Hot Chocolate Games
Genre(s):
Platformer
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
iOS

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Susan N.

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AeternoBlade II - PS4 Review

Having essentially reset time and erased the atrocities that she set out to seek revenge upon in the first AeternoBlade, Freya is once again going to have to solve her way forward through time puzzles in order to save the world from an evil that she unwittingly unleashed by "setting things right" in the first adventure. Met with those she saved and new faces alike, this new adventure will have you playing as more than Freya and the puzzles have stepped it up a notch as what one playable character can do? The others can’t.

AeternoBlade II is the platformer metroidvania sequel to Corcell Technology’s AeternoBlade that originally released back in 2014 for the 3DS. Having been re-released over the years on the PS Vita, the PS4, XB1 and the Switch, the performance had been smoothed over and the accumulation of this experience was clear to see in the sequel. Releasing natively for the current generation of consoles and the PC, this latest adventure runs very smooth and was a pleasure to experience even if it felt a bit slow to start off.

If there's one major flaw to AeternoBlade II it's that the story almost feels like it was tacked onto the gameplay to give some context. It honest never feels like it's enough to really mean anything which is unfortunate because the level of importance it carries is huge. As either Freya or the other two newly introduced playable characters Bernard and Felix, each will be fighting for their own reasons but other than a high level “this is why”, it never really gets into it more than that. It’s basically a case of the gameplay is supposed to tell half the story but more often than not, it doesn’t because other than save the world, there really isn’t any.

Instead, you'll have a few quick lines of text or some neatly and we'll done 3D cutscenes that comes with their very own QTEs... that I kept forgetting about and game overing because of it. If anything else, keep your hands on your controller! Thankfully if you do die and game over because you didn't hit the prompt fast enough, it's a quick enough loading back in at the spot you failed instead of having to do the whole fight over again.

As for fighting though, it’s a lot of fun, which is great, because you’ll be doing a lot of it. While things feel a bit less metroidvania than the first, things open up a bit once you’ve gotten out of what I’ll consider the tutorial which makes up for roughly the first 15% of the adventure? You aren’t just thrown to the wolves. Instead, you’re taught how to survive one character and AeternoBlade time bending function at a time.

Freya, who acts as your introduction, or re-introduction if you’ve played the first, is a sword wielding badass who reacquires the ability to rewind time around her while she can keep moving forward. If things get a bit too hairy, she can even rewind herself backwards in order to not die because you missed judged a giant fireball when your health was next to nothing. Up next you have Felix who basically has a chain sword acting something like a mix between a Castlevania Belmont and Allucard. Able to use his chain sword to latch onto out of reach places, he gains access to make clones of himself to be able to tackle enemies essentially simultaneously. There is a trick to this, but more on that below.

Finally, you have Bernard that is a bit slower than the other two but who is much more powerful and can simply smash his way through an enemy's shields and through blocked yet breakable gates. His powerful build leads into interesting combinations as with the power of the AeternoBlade, Bernard can stop time and really lay into an enemy. So between the three, Freya, Felix and Bernard all have the advantage in certain situations, and disadvantages in others such as there are enemies that can only be hit while rewinding time. Can’t rewind time? You’ll need to hope you get lucky or simply keep running to the next area.

Bridging things together though, events will eventually lead to Freya getting the other powers of the AeternoBlade back so that she can get more done. While her weapon and “power” stay the same, she does get to start doing other things such as being able to latch onto a further point in order to haul herself up. What I appreciated is that it starts to happen early, but not too early so that you do get to enjoy the other characters a bit and what they can bring to the table.

Finally, while nothing really new to the style, but always nice to have, AeternoBlade II switches between 2D platforming and combat to 3D combat for certain challenges and boss fights. This change, like the QTEs can take you a bit by surprise at times because they aren't exactly being declared but they showcase that even if the gameplay is being switched up, the quality is not being dropped. If there was to be one issue with this change, it's that targeting is done with L3 and when you're locked on to something massive, you'll often not see it's other arm or tail coming at you so being careful with when to lock on will be important.

Overall, AeternoBlade II may not be winning any awards, but it shows off a decent progression for the studio that made what could also be a cult classic as many that I’ve spoken too have never heard of it, and those that have, enjoyed it even with its limitations. Changing things up with different characters that have different abilities and a “lighter” storyline than one simply hell bent on revenge, this end of the world tale is worth taking a look at for fans of platforming and metroidvania puzzles.

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 4
Developer(s):
Corecell Technology
Publisher(s):
PQube
Genre(s):
Action, Platformer
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Funcom Teams up with Alice & Smith on Moons of Madness - Time Sensitive Opportunity Involved!

OSLO, Norway – Oct 15th, 2019 – Funcom have teamed up with alternate reality game (ARG) experts Alice & Smith to create an eerie and unique experience ahead of the launch of cosmic horror game Moons of Madness. The result is CyranoStory.com, where players from all over the world already have discovered hidden parts of the narrative and backstory of the highly anticipated game.

The ARG, which will continually be updated with new content till Moons of Madness launches on PC October 22nd, utilizes Google AI in an innovative fashion – giving it control over the storyline and player interactions.

“This is by far the most advanced ARG we have ever created,” explains Andrea Doyon, Chief Storyteller at Alice & Smith. “We have basically put Google AI in charge of the game universe. You interact with it through words, like with any other AI, but it will reply using emotions, sounds, visuals or even creepy ghost whispers.”

Fear is central to CyranoStory.com, and Doyon reveals that they have taught the AI 298 human phobias for this game. This will allow the AI to identify the players worst fears based on what they input. It will also allow the AI and storyline to evolve as the game reaches new stages.

And while it may be creepy, courageous gamers may find themselves greatly rewarded. Funcom and Alice & Smith are giving out 2000 keys for Moons of Madness, The Park and The Black Watchmen, as well as a grand prize trip to visit a NASA space center. The grand prize includes tickets for two people to Space Center Houston®, including Lunch with an Astronaut, Level 9 VIP Tour (Including Space Center Admissions; winners must be 14 or older to participate), round trip air transportation and hotel accommodations for three nights; all provided by Funcom Oslo AS*.

No Purchase Necessary. Void where prohibited. Restrictions apply. Visit www.CyranoStory.com after Noon EST 25 October for Official Rules and complete Terms and Conditions. *Funcom declares no affiliation, sponsorship, nor any partnerships with any registered trademarks unless otherwise stated.

Moons of Madness is a first-person, story-driven cosmic horror game where the scientific exploration of Mars meets the supernatural dread of Lovecraft. The game is due to launch on PC in time for Halloween on October 22nd and on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One January 21st, 2020. For more information, check out the Moons of Madness Steam page.

ABOUT FUNCOM

Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC and consoles. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Titles include ‘Conan Exiles‘, ‘Secret World Legends, ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’, ‘The Longest Journey', 'Anarchy Online', 'The Park', and 'Dreamfall: The Longest Journey'. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.conanexiles.com, www.secretworldlegends.com, www.anarchy-online.com, www.dreamfall.com, www.theparkgame.com, www.conanexiles.com, or www.ageofconan.com. Funcom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.

ABOUT ALICE & SMITH 

Alice & Smith is a full-stack entertainment agency specializing in alternate reality games (ARGs), interactive content, and transmedia events. Their recent work includes ‘Tender ARG’ for Paradox Interactive - Bloodlines 2 and ‘Waking Titan’, No Man's Sky ARG for Hello Games. The company started creating ARGs in 2007 and was the first permanent Alternate Reality Game on Steam with The Black Watchmen. The independent studio won multiple awards including Startup of the Year, Best Indie Game at Momocon 2019, Bronze at the 2018 Cannes Lions festival, and the Gold medal at the 2018 Canadian Marketing Awards.

ABOUT ROCK POCKET GAME

Rock Pocket Games is an independent game development studio situated in Tønsberg, Norway. Rock Pocket started up developing mobile games back in 2008, and have since then grown to an award winning studio behind both mobile, PC and console titles. Rock Pocket hold quality, communication, passion and fun in high regards and strongly believe that this is their strength when creating great products everyone involved can be proud of.


Article by Susan N.

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Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - PS4 Review

Well fellow hunters, it’s finally here! Iceborne has recently dropped and let me tell you, I’m definitely pleased with how it turned out. With new monsters, a new area, a new gathering hub, and new moves for your old weapons, there’s a lot of new content to explore in this jam-packed expansion.

So let’s get started with how to access Iceborne. After clearing the main campaign in standard World (breaking into hunter rank 16), you’ll be given a quest that starts the Iceborne adventures. The reason it takes place after the main World campaign? That’s right, they’ve brought G-Rank **cough cough**, sorry, MASTER rank, into the equation. Tougher creatures and a harder challenge, G-rank is what I was wishing the standard World package had, and now here it is in all its glory.

As soon as you set foot in the new area, the Hoarfrost Reach, you’ll have that old monster hunter feeling: new rank melancholy, where all your gear is trash and you take enough damage to make you cry. Thankfully for those hunters that are maybe less proficient but just as gritty, there are a lot of expeditions for the master rank creatures that become available, meaning you can just throw bodies at the things until you get an armor set and weapon to help you on your way.

Speaking of weapons, there’s a slew of new things that Iceborne has brought about. The Palicos level and proficiency caps have increased, there are new moves to a bunch of weapons, and you now get access to the wonder that is the “Clutch Claw”. Let’s start with the cats. New moves are now available as you upgrade their old “classes”, and let me tell you, they are ridiculous. The shieldspire for instance throws out one of those inflatable noodle men that you see outside car dealerships to attract monsters. The vigorwasp gadget? Free feline insurance. In addition to these fancy new skills, you can also ride the tailraiders monsters now. Like Popo. I can tell you right now, if you’re playing online and someone wants to start a Popo race? Probably me.

Like your cat friend, new moves have been added to some of the weapons. While your mileage with the new moves may vary, I suggest checking out a brief guide on the new things you can do with the different weapons. Speaking of new things, the Clutch Claw. This is both the greatest and worst thing I’ve seen added into a monster hunter game. You can basically grapple onto monsters now, and after attacking them you “wound” them, turning that area into an increased damage zone. It’s fun, it’s great for areas on monsters you can’t normally hit, and I love using it as something is trying to run away. Why is it so bad? Expect everyone online to only be spamming it. That being said, it is super handy and fun to use.

So, the new monsters. There are new monsters not seen before, and a couple of returning friends. The Brach is back in all its exploding slime-y glory, and the thunder wolf is back to drop some sick breakdance moves, and I couldn’t be happier. Two of my favorite creatures that I wanted to see in World get added in Iceborne. Not to mention Iceborne also provides the “DLC” monsters, although those familiar with the Rajang might not be as enthusiastic. Stupid monkey/bull thing.

So what is my favorite part about Iceborne you might ask? Is it the new zone where you can draw inappropriate pictures in the snow?  The clutch claw in all its gropi-ness? The new/returning monsters? No, it’s the new gathering hub. Finally, we get a hub you never need to leave. Everything you could want to do is there: smithy, item box, tailrider safari, bounty manager, cultivation management, even a hot spring! Following a close second has to be the 2 player difficulty. That’s right, instead of scaling between either one or four people, if there are only two of you in a quest, it’s now adjusted for two people.

While this does mean the challenge that veteran hunters were looking for may be diminished slightly, those more casual players will certainly appreciate the difficulty adjustment, especially if you decide to go about crown farming. Because guess what? New guild card for Iceborne! It doesn’t replace your old one, you now just have two. The only gripe I have is the price point, but that’s probably just because I’m cheap. This isn’t so much a “DLC” pack as an expansion that can easily double how long you spent in the base game. Bravo Capcom for simply making everything better without destroying something else in the process.

So gather up your hunting party and find a doot-bro, drag those titles such as “the Barioth Basher” out of retirement, because it’s time to hunt!

P.S. Capcom if you read this, please bring back the Alatreon :3

Game Information

Platform:
Sony PlayStation 4
Developer(s):
Capcom
Publisher(s):
Capcom
Genre(s):
Action, Adventure, Grindfest
Mode(s):
Single Player, Multiplayer Coop
Other Platform(s):
Microsoft Xbox One, PC in 2020

Source:
Purchased

Article by Richard

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A Knight's Quest - Switch Review

A Knight's Quest has been touted as an old-school throwback to 3D adventures and it delivers on that statement. Rekindling the love for adventure in the simpler times of Quest 64, MediEvil or The Legend of Zelda entries during that time, follow along with Rusty as his wonderful and crazy adventures basically keep bringing the world one step closer to its doom.

Riding the thin line between nostalgia and an actual great experience is a tough one. We glossary remember how amazing something was or how it felt and picking it up again we wonder how we ever thought that way. It's not the rule, but it's a common experience so when I saw A Knight's Quest, I just had to know.

Modeled to look like an older title, the gameplay experience is a rather well refined even if it's not perfect. Taking control of Rusty, you'll be running, jumping, dashing your way across fields, walls, tight ropes and bridges. With plenty of large environments to explore and solve how to make your way through them, you'll need to be a bit quick on the controls as well as figure out which weapon works best in which situation once you get them all.

Design in an older schooled Legend of Zelda style, you'll have to do a few errands before you get to go into the next dungeon. Along the way, you'll get a new tool that helps you make it all the way to the boss who can only really be defeated with that tool. Cliche? Over done? In a sense, yes. In another though, the tools that Rusty obtains are actually weapons that form his arsenal. Sword and shield, metal fists and a hammer make up the first half of what Rusty is going to need in order to lay the smackdown to the undead forces plaguing the land. The other half? Each of these weapons grant different magics making each new weapon a 2-1 sale.

Wind, Fire and Ice form the three elemental types for your weapons in the same order as above. Where things are a bit different than normal is that the weapons themselves are not elemental meaning each is a good dose of pure steel when you're fighting off crowds of enemies to move forward. While equipping these weapons, that's where you can use the magic either to break down shields or solve puzzles by blowing windmills, melting ice or freezing steam. It's a nice touch to the tried and true formula especially when Rusty's quest is not a short one

Like a lot of good tales, pacing is important. Go too long, people get bored and move on. Keep it too short and people wish there was more with what was presented. I won't say A Knight's Quest is perfect but it's balanced enough to change things up when they start to become stale. Having large environments and no way to move faster shy of opening shortcuts, after a dozen or so hours you start to wonder where things are actually leading.

Having set off a weird purple crystal into the sky, you set off on the mayor's orders, who happens to be your insane father, to gather the spirit knights to save the day. Meeting with the various guardians that grab the knights their powers, you basically get the weapons instead of the knights themselves. Thinking you can solve it all yourself, you head up to put a stop to the scary crystal. Obviously with things going wrong, you set off the second act that while neat, feels like it should have come sooner because of what it adds.

Prior to this point you were literally running everywhere by foot. Even when you got sliding boots to make Tidus proud, things were always a long ways away which was weird because every area has a teleporter pad of sorts. Thinking that I unlocked them all and that it was only a matter of time to actually be able to use them, it was. In the second act, you get a teleporter stone. The only issue with this is only NOW do you get to unlock each location. Ugh… all that running now had to be done a second time.

And it marred the experience for me a bit because of how much back and forth you need to do at certain points. Not really having shops per say in every city, each area has a speciality and when potions are really in the desert and the blacksmith is only the starting castle town? I hope your sneakers are ready. I had honestly just wished that there was a way to speed up especially after getting the powers of wind from the first more powerful weapon that you get your hands on.

Running all over the place aside, the rest of the mechanics lead to some great fun. When it comes to combat you’ll have Rusty swinging, blocking, parrying dodging and launching magic. While the sword and fits lack that satisfying oomph of having your hits connect, the hammer more than makes up for that. The same can be said to parrying an enemy’s strike as it will break through whatever shield that they may currently have in place. Your magics are also a little neat as while the wind doesn’t do as much damage, it’ll cut through everyone. Fire will probably do the most amount of damage as your foes become hot red while ice magics will freeze an enemy for a few seconds. What was done really well, and which will also net you a good fist to the face at times, is that ice isn’t an instant freeze, it’s a fast gradual thing so if the swing was about to hit you, it’ll hit you.

Combined with your options for combat, the platforming was just gleeful fun. You can run around jumping, you can jump while sliding on a rail to get to different places and then you can finally Prince of Persia wall run when there’s no other options available. A Knight’s Quest isn’t a short title so having the basics of gameplay being as solid as they are made for a great many hours of exploring the land’s various reaches. What I appreciated was that there’s a constant buildup that was never too much to handle when it was time to handle it.

Overall, A Knight’s Quest is a great throwback to the first days of 3D adventuring upon the PC and both Nintendo and Sony’s platforms for the time. Even if there’s an issue with the speed in which you can travel around the lands, there’s a great balance of gameplay and combat elements alongside the nostalgia that it imbues as Rusty tries to save the lands from the issues that he set into motion.

Game Information

Platform:
Nintendo Switch
Developer(s):
Sky9 Games
Publisher(s):
Curve Digital
Genre(s):
Action, Adventure
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, PC

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

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Inertial Drift Announced by PQube and Level 91 Entertainment

PQube (London, UK) - October 14th, 2019 - PQube and developer Level 91 Entertainment are excited to announce Inertial Drift, an intense 1-on-1 arcade racer that completely re-engineers drifting by introducing twin-stick controls! Speed along stunning tracks in the pink Japanese sunset with a fighting-game-like roster of 16 unique cars, drivers and techniques, coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in Spring 2020!
 
This is what Inertial Drift has in its garage:

Twin-stick drifting!

• Twice the controls, twice the control! A completely new level of precision allows for drifts a hair's breadth away from the crash barrier, making every turn intense!

16 different driving styles!

• Every character and their car in Inertial Drift have an unique driving style! Pick your favorite technique or master all of them to become the ultimate racer!

90s Retro-Future setting!

• 20 tracks, flooded by the lights of pink Japanese sunset and vibrant neon-cities, set the stage for thrilling chases!

Intense 1-on-1 racing!

• Scaling the races down to duels adds excitement to every face-off, giving you an adrenaline boost every time you see headlights in your back mirror and hear the music pick up!

Stay tuned for more information on Inertial Drift !

Inertial Drift is part of our line-up at EGX London 2019 and will release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in Spring 2020!

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

About Level 91 Entertainment

At Level 91, our goal is to build games with great feel, smooth flowing action and highly responsive controls. We draw elements from our favourite classics, update them for modern tastes, and add our own unique twist, all to create experiences that feel both fresh yet familiar. http://www.level91.co.uk/

About PQube

PQube is a leading 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 (UK), Bristol (UK), Paris (France), Los Angeles (USA) and Hong Kong.

As a licensed publisher with Sony, Microsoft, Valve, Nintendo and Apple, PQube’s software division publishes and distributes video games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, iOS, Android, PC and has full coverage across all digital download platforms, establishing a track record of success with major franchises including: Gal*Gun, Chaos;Child, Cat Quest, Valkyrie Drive, White Day, Root Letter, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, Kotodama, MotoGP, Ride, MXGP, Harvest Moon, Senran Kagura and Steins;Gate.

PQube’s hardware division designs, manufactures and distributes officially licensed consoles and accessories including the brand-new Atari ‘Retro’ range.

We thank all our partners and acknowledge all game names, brands and trademarks as properties of their respective owners. Visit: www.pqube.co.uk/games


Article by Susan N.

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