Gamescom 2019: Little Nightmares II Announced With Slated Release Date Aiming For 2020
This year with the introduction of the Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation host by Geoff Keighley, a bevy of new titles that fans across all genres have been anticipating are given proper stage time to fully take in the light for its respected announcement. During the show, Bandai Namco along with Tarsier Studios gave Little Nightmares II a reveal with a spooky introduction of Mono. Alongside the preceding title’s protagonist Six, the two band together as they face new enemies in a whole new adventure. However, unlike the original title, the coming sequel looks to be introducing a new combat mechanic to fight off the monsters that lie ahead as the two will utilize kitchen utensils towards their advantage. While the announcement trailer does showcase the new adventure that Six and Mono will be taking, the scheduled release date has been left to a minimal timeframe aimed to release at an unspecified date next year in 2020. While you wait, check out Rectify Gaming’s review of the first Little Nightmares here. Rectify’s Whiplash receives the title to being “a surprising game. It combines creepy and exuberant art with vivid and innocent colors. It’s a very short experience but a satisfying one.” Little Nightmares II is slated to launch in 2020 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Gamescom 2019: Kerbal Space Program 2 Announced With Initiated Release Date For 2020
Developer Squad with the official release of Kerbal Space Program truly stood out with a comical yet sophisticated rocket science simulator giving the player one objective: launch a space ship through the planet’s atmosphere. And while the concept does seem miniscule on the surface, the title offers a bevy of enjoyable moments in the process, giving more reason to keep returning. At the first annual Gamescom Opening Night Live show, developer Squad with Rockstar Games’ private Division took the stage during the presentation to reveal that Kerbal Space Program 2 is in development and is coming just next year. The developer sharing that this upcoming sequel will offer “been fully redesigned from the ground up to meet the demands of modern and next-generation space exploration, all while maintaining the monumental foundations of the first game.” One reaching space with your ship of Kerbonauts, your mission then suggests players to land and inhabit your destination by creating a settlement on the uncharted planet. Without going too into detail on the new features that will be added in the follow-up game, Squad shares that players will enjoy things like the addition of colonies, interstellar travel, and the newly improved onboarding mechanic. And with the sequel pushing against the next generation of console units, the team does mention that players will enjoy the varying differences with parts, engines, and fuel that react differently with the newer tech arriving next year. Kerbal Space Program 2 is launching next year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Gamescom 2019: Yager Development Releases PvPvE The Cycle On The Epic Games Store
Though Yager Development has broken away from Dead Island 2, the developer has been using its time towards other priority projects like The Cycle for example. Those who watched today’s Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation might not have known, but the title has been in public eye for more than a year already, but recently the game just went into Early Access. However, the game despite being listed on Steam is currently available via Early Access on the Epic Games Store. Launching with the “Change is in the Air” update for the game, Yager will be releasing The Cycle on Epic’s storefront with a collection of new additions. In the latest blog post, there will be two new archetypes: the Exobiologist and the Gambler. A new enemy type has also been added with droids as the new hostile have been introduced to Fortuna III. Danger Zones are now marked on the map for players unaware of the game’s locale as certain areas will be highlighted red depending on the number of players or AI enemies. But with every title update, there are some much needed changes that must be made to keep the game balanced and fair as an influx of new players are expected to join the online lobbies. Yager has shared that due to the necessity for technical stability, all player progress have been wiped: but the team does clarify that this should be the last time this will occur as the game has been added to the Epic Games Store. A list of other adjustments, leveling, and improvements have also been bundled in the new update, you can read the full list here. The Cycle is currently available via Early Access on the Epic Games Store, which you can download now on the game’s page.
Gamescom 2019: Comanche Announced, Private Alpha Coming Soon
At the first Gamescom Opening Night Live show, publisher THQ Nordic took the stage to reveal that the beloved series from the 1990s Comanche will be returning with a new installment on the way for a near future release date. Unlike other world premieres that took place at the presentation in Cologne, developer Nukklear Digital Minds alongside the game’s announcement also shown off some gameplay of the upcoming title. Fans of the series might have remembered the air time havoc that you can bring in the older titles on PC and it seems the same experience is promised to be reintroduced for the upcoming title which is releasing for modern hardware. Looking back at the previous games, the last entry that was released dated back to 2001 with Comache 4: so it is appreciated THQ Nordic has decided to have the franchise return for new minds to indulge in for the classic series. Although, the game does differ with the modern addition of drones so helicopter will be used for large scale battles while the miniature hovercrafts will be used for close-quarter fights. Atop of the title’s reveal, THQ Nordic also shared that a private alpha will be taking place sometime at an unspecified date. Those who are interested can sign-up for the alpha on the game’s website here. Comache is currently listed for an Early Access release in Q1 2020.
Gamescom 2019: Amplitude Studios & Sega Announce Humankind
Tracking back to the potential rumored that spawned yesterday regarding Sega’s announcement for today’s Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation, users claimed to have discovered that the reveal will be a remake for 2010’s Yakuza 3. However, that ended up not being the big news from the Japanese publisher as we instead were greeted with Humankind. Announced by French developer Amplitude Studios and publisher Sega, this new real-time strategy war title ranks different from other games in the genre by offering a civilization creator which will forge your very own settlement which you will then use to march on through to the Modern Age. Highlighting on the “real-time” aspect, rather than using your created civilization to generate your own fictional war, Humankind will bring your own group to wars that have already occurred from the ties before. “Face real historical events, lead renown figures, and make scientific breakthroughs. Discover the natural wonders of the world or build the remarkable creations of humankind.” On the game’s official website, it is specified that those who register for the title’s newsletter will also be rewarded with special in-game items that Amplitude Studios will reveal at a later date. If interested on the free goodies, head here to sign-up for your rewards. What do you think about Sega’s new real-time strategy title? Humankind is slated with a 2020 release date for PC.
Here Are All The New Games Google Has Announced Coming To Stadia
Alongside Nintendo’s Indie World presentation and the Gamescom Opening Night Live show, Google also hosted its second Stadia Connect which was scheduled to arrive at the beginning of the month. With the major eye grabber today being the addition of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 being added to the streaming platform’s library, there is still over a couple handfuls of other titles that you might have missed. Here are the latest additions of games that will be coming to Google Stadia either at launch or when the game’s respected release date arrives: Cyberpunk 2077 The Elder Scrolls Online Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle Windjammers 2 Orcs Must Die! 3 Watch Dogs Legion Superhot Kine Destroy All Humans! Remastered As the library of titles for Google’s approaching video game service continues to grow, it should be noted that there are some big additions that have still yet received a proper announcement. Upon the time of the platform’s announcement, Google stated that Rockstar Games, Capcom, and Electronic Arts will be included to providing AAA titles for Stadia. It is expected that the listed publishers will have whatever games planned for Google’s platform at a later Stadia Connect. Atop of Superhot’s announcement for Google Stadia, the game has also been shadow dropped for the Nintendo eShop earlier today as well. Google Stadia will be available this November via the Founder’s Edition which is priced at $129.99. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVYW5KWLk0w
Review: We Happy Few
By MARY WALRATH Developer – Compulsion Games Release Date – August 10, 2018 Platforms – Xbox One reviewed, PS4, PC The trailer for “We Happy Few” was a dream-come-true to many indie horror gaming fans. The previews featured enticing scenes meeting somewhere between post-apocalyptic and alternative history. The images of zombie-like NPCs wandering around plastered with uncanny, painted smiling masks and the story of arc of some twisted society in which the human condition had somehow gone terribly awry originally presented as more atmospheric horror than adventure action. By all appearances, it looked like the BioShock-inspired spin-off many had been hoping for. When it finally did release in mid-2018, ripples of mass disappointment at Compulsions’ Games blunder spread in a way reminiscent of the reception of “Hello Neighbor.” People wondered how the developers managed to piss all that Kick Starter money down the drain. Mixed, and largely negative, reviews abound, when I first started the game, I thought I might actually disagree with them. It appealed to an audience that has a soft spot for campy, stereotypical horror tropes. It begins with a scene of our protagonist, Arthur, as he comes off the mind-altering drugs he’s been living on and realizes he and his coworkers are eating bloody rats instead of cake at an office party. His job had been to redact old news articles to make them pro-the-powers-that-bed a bit of gameplay straight out of “1984,” and that initial juxtaposition is successful in convincing you that you’re about to experience some significant Orwellian commentary. In the first couple hours of gameplay, you spend time wandering around abandoned and bombed-out old homes with old record players scratching warped sounds and empty cribs accompanied by tinkering old lullabies. The 1940s-’60s style war posters encouraging people to “keep calm and carry on” and relics of a life that make the mi- twentieth century seem like ancient history are enough to keep the eye interested. The entire concept of an apocalyptic, revisionist past in which Britain surrendered to Germany in WWII and left behind a society in shambles offset by brainwashing drugs has every bit of potential for a hell of a story. Arthur’s gradual revelations as he gains back his memory after refusing to take his “Joy” pills are incentivse for the player to continue to move along and find out more about this history that could have easily been ours in a slightly parallel universe. Eventually, you play through the same series of events from the perspective of two other characters parallel to Arthur, each time saddled with a new set of state detriments seemingly to simulate “levels” of difficulty. One character, for example, has a problem with low blood sugar and you frequently need to find the components to make a glucose syringe to keep him going; another is “petite” and therefore is not able to engage in as much fist-to-face combat. The basics are solid enough that I could not imagine it would be as bad as people were saying. And in some ways, I don’t think it was. For the amount of time it spent in development, its augmented point and click-style mechanics could, and should, have been much better. The fighting will be almost unbearable to any combat-focused players out there who could have gotten something similar by popping in an old PS2 game from the early 2000s. For something that was marketed as being more in the creepy/horror/thriller category but ended up being more post-apocalyptic puzzle-solving, the atmosphere is what makes the difference. The lore-lovers, crafters and story-followers will find this much more appealing than fighters, adventurers or strategists. The mechanics and wonkiness in gameplay have been discussed at length, and ultimately can be summed up as “lazy” or “rushed.” It’s almost as if the developers ran out of time — the arc of each character gets shorter, their story more rushed during each playthrough. Almost every NPC is identical, copied and pasted over and over again from the handful of people designs the team rendered. The combat was often ill-conceived, the character animation clunky compared to A world of much better detail, and the gameplay often repetitive. This isn’t RDR2 in which traveling across vast expanses of land is beautiful and enjoyable — this is “damn, I have to spend half anfhour of walking all the way THERE again to get ANOTHER item?” This is not to mention the many facets of the game that appeared to be actual bugs if not just poor concept. Random NPC attacks that would have entire villages running after you for no apparent reason, only to stop cold when ducking under a bush. The missions are completable by simply powering through with no regard for the rules until a cut scene saved the day. Those complaints have likewise been talked about ad nauseam. But the mechanics are less of what both disappointed and excited me, for there is a big picture here; the big picture of what the game was and could have been based on how it speaks to us as a people and how it approaches a story that is too close to our own reality for comfort. I find “We Happy Few” an almost painful type of disappointment because its concept is so brilliant that the failures in execution make you almost sad in the way lost potential does. The revelation of the story arcs are riddled with passes at subtly and suspense that became overpowering — the stories themselves, the slow creeping horror and some sense of impenetrable human spirit — have something to say. But in the same way as a teenager trying to write the “deepest” poem in 11th grade English class, the writers of “We Happy Few” took messages of intrigue and drilled holes through them like “a church made of cheese, and all the congregation’s mice.” They had something to say — they just needn’t try so hard.
Gamescom 2019: Everspace 2 Announced With 2021 Release Date Inbound
Back in 2017, RockFish Games introduced Everspace which took the idea of space travel and imbedded roguelike gameplay elements to bring a new experience that many have yet to experience before. And following two years after the initial title, the developer felt it was time to move on with a sequel to its space combat title. Announced during the Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase, RochFish Games revealed Everspace 2 to the world with an expansive trailer for the next installment of the series. The description for the game reads that “EVERSPACE™ 2 is a fast-paced single-player space shooter with deep exploration, tons of loot and classic RPG elements. Experience a thrilling story set in a vivid, handcrafted open-world full of secrets and perils on your journey to become human after all.” The succeeding title promises a longer story campaign which covers roughly 20-30 hours, an unmentioned amount of side missions, as well as expanding your experience into endgame territory. Referencing the game’s website, the developer emphasizes five key aspects for the next game: exploration, combat, ships, story, and itemization. All emerged into one conglomerate experience will bring adapt what players know from the first title and evolve that into something refreshing this time around. However, while some of us might view other games scheduled to release next year as light years away, this new follow-up space explorer is pushing that wait into two with a laucnh date aiming into 2021 territory. Which is pretty odd as the game is currently list for modern hardware; does that mean next generation consoles will also be supported? Everspace 2 is listed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for 2021.
Gamescom 2019: Stranger Things’ Demogorgon Will Be The Next Killer Coming To Dead By Daylight
Before players on Dead by Daylight could get used to the addition of Scream’s Ghost Face being added to the game’s roster of killers earlier this Summer, Behaviour Interactive has already announced the next killer for later this Fall along with the addition of two new survivors for those hiding from the new murderer. Announced today in celebration of this year’s Gamescom, the developer has revealed that its 2016 survival horror title will be crossing over with Netflix to introduce the Demogorgon from Stranger Things alongside featuring Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) and Joseph David Keery (Steve Harrington) as survivors for the ongoing multiplayer game. And alike every update that features a new killer, this Stranger Things-infused crossover will offer Hawkins National Laboratory: The Underground Complex as the newest map for the title. Observed from the trailer, it was revealed that the map does hold true to the Netflix original series as the map is held in the upside down portion of the world. Assuming that this will offer certain buffs for the killer as like with Freddy Kruger when in the Dream World. The newest additions are scheduled to release sometime next month in September, however, there is no approximate date listed for the update currently. Expect an overview for the crossover sometime soon as we near closer to the update’s release. Dead by Daylight is out now for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Announces Acquisition Of Insomniac Games
Last month it was reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment was looking to acquire more AAA developers for the publisher’s first-party lineup of studios. SIE CEO Jim Ryan shared with Japanese publication Nihon Keizai Shimbun that the company is looking to invest in smaller developers to bring fresh new ideas to its current branch of studios: which lead to the assumption that AAA teams were out of the picture following the alleged rumors of potential acquisition of Remedy Entertainment and Insomniac Games. However, it seemed that larger independent studios were not entirely out of the picture as it was revealed earlier today that Sony Interactive Entertainment have officially acquired Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games. According to the official press release report from Sony, Insomniac Games will be the next addition to the Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios. Upon completion of the acquisition, Insomniac Games will join the global development operation of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios (“SIE WWS”). Insomniac Games is the 14th studio to join the SIE WWS family. This addition furthers SIE’s continued commitment to creative excellence and innovation in game development exclusively for the PlayStation platforms. In the same press release, SIE has detailed that Marvel’s Spider-Man is currently the most successful title from Insomniac Games: revealing that last year’s title has sold a total of 13.2 million copies since launching back in September 2018. Looking ahead, it will be exciting to see what the developer has planned next now that the studio will be tied down to Sony as the company’s next generation console is just around the corner for next year. What do you think about Insomniac Games being Sony’s newest studio? Source: Kotaku
