Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas To Hit Xbox Game Pass When It Ships This September

From developer Bossa Studios, the team responsible for the Surgeon Simulator series, the developer has delivered many projects oriented around its silly physics-based projects like the titular health care simulator and I Am Bread. However, some may recall the failed attempt of Decksplash: a Tony Hawk/Splatoon-like game which ended up falling through in late 2017. Since, the team has further fueled its simulator series with other iterations on Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread sequel, I Am Fish. Earlier this year, Bossa Studios announced that Surgeon Simulator is receiving an official follow-up, Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas. In addition to its expanding release for console atop of PC, it is also preparing to drop for Xbox Game Pass when the day arrives this September.  According to Xbox Wire, Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas is to hit Xbox Game Pass for console at the start of September. Embark on your surgical training journey as Kamal, Heather, Penny, or Milo. Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas features our shiny new character models that have been lovingly refined by the Bossa art team. You can even customize your chosen character with a library of cosmetics; from dinosaur heads to Halloween costumes. Are four hands truly better than one? Don’t try and save Bob’s life alone! Team-up with your friends in Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas and complete surgeries and levels together. We’re truly putting the co-op in cooperation, with multiplayer available for all Xbox console players. Poppy Ingham, Bossa Studios’ Senior Community Manager Previously, Microsoft went on to include other anticipated titles coming to Xbox Game Pass later on. During that, it was announced that Xbox Game Pass for PC is to feature Amplitude Studios’ Humankind later in August. Additionally, this week’s /Twitchgaming & ID@Xbox Showcase presented more than a handful of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass stretching into 2022. For the month of August so far, Microsoft kicked off the last segment of the of the summer with titles like Hades, Katamari Damacy: Reroll, Lumines Remastered, and Art of Rally to be headlining this month’s additions. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you see yourself playing Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas when it launches next month? Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas ships on September 2, 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Source: Xbox Wire

Konami Reveals Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel, And Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel In Previous Livestream

Upon sorting the undergoing plans at Konami, it is quite secretive as of late. While fans were hopeful to see the next major announcements from the Japanese publisher at E3 earlier this June, the company announced that it would be withdrawing its attendance to the virtual show prior to the start of the event. But, some speculation lingers as what to might be on the way still. In that, developer Bloober Team in one statement announced to be collaborating with one publisher that is associated with a familiar horror franchise. Later on, the Polish studio and Konami announced a ‘Strategic Partnership’ between both parties. However, there is no certainty as to what the pair could deliver following the agreement made then. While we wait, Konami has went on to announce three new Yu-Gi-Oh! titles last month in July. Three games in total – Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel, And Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel. You can watch the presentation for the games in the video below: “Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel lets players old and new enjoy the hugely popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in digital form. Players across the globe can compete in intense collectible card Duels, both thrilling to play and watch. Unlike other Yu-Gi-Oh! titles that have featured the manga and anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is fully positioned around the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, and it promises to be the most complete Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG digital title yet. “Discover a fun new way to battle in Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel on Nintendo Switch. Based on the Rush Duel card game that’s been available in Japan since last year, Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel uses a fun new ruleset that lets you keep on drawing and keep on Summoning! Brace yourself for Duels in which the tide can change very quickly… “Duelists can collect Rush Duel cards, build up their own Decks, take on characters from Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens and challenge friends and others across the world. All of this and more is coming when Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel releases this fall in the Americas and Europe. “Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel changes the game with dramatic four-player Dueling action. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting new Yu-Gi-Oh! project, planned for release on iOS and Android worldwide.” Konami is not only revitalizing its Yu-Gi-oh! property, but also Pro Evolution Soccer as well. Recently, the annual soccer simulator returned from its one year hibernation to unveil it is now eFootball – a free-to-play, ongoing experience. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested in any of the new Yu-Gi-Oh! projects underway? Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel arrives to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam, iOS and Android later this fall. Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel is listed to hit Nintendo Switch this fall. Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel is listed for Android & iOS. Source: Konami

Report: Rockstar Games Working On Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Which Explains More Takedowns On User Mods

We know, Grand Theft Auto V is more than seven years old – well beyond the amount of time a Grand Theft Auto title should be out in anticipation for the next – and the 2013 title is to ship again later this November for PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S. However, the fumes of nostalgia always grabs at those wanting to return to the most memorable release of the franchise. Entries that introduced the series to the world of third-dimension. Titles such as Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are among the notorious release from Rockstar Games if not the latter Grand Theft Auto IV & Grand Theft Auto V, of course. Previously, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick did dodge the reality of the three being remastered which does leave suspicions that it is on the way. However, a new report from Kotaku indicates that the reworking of the three are certainly n Rockstar Games’ playbook. In that, the outlet shares developer Rockstar Dundee, the most recent acquisitioned team for the developer, is working on the new project. Additionally, the Scottish studio is also said to be responsible for the next-generation work for Grand Theft Auto V as well. Not only Kotaku corroborating the speculation, it is also Rockstar Games’ actions that fuels this specific fire as well. According to LibertyCity.net, eight of its user-created mods were struck by Rockstar Games with DMCA strikes: most of which are tied to suspicioned titles that are part of the alleged trilogy reworks. Kotaku goes on to further tell plans for the unannounced trilogy aims for Nintendo Switch as well. For future plans for the Grand Theft Auto series, Bloomberg Tech’s Jason Schreier backs recent claims for the assumed grand Theft Auto VI to be set in a remade Vice City and features the return of multiple protagonists. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you hoping the Grand Theft Auto is more than just a rumor? Source: Kotaku

Sega Issues Sonic & Tails Characters For Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania In Latest Trailer

Although Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is shaping up to be the true answer to what fans of the franchise have been continually waiting for, the game continues to unveil more additions that further the excitement for its October launch date. Noted that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD was the proving group for the IP’s return, Sega was adamant since then to deliver a new game. Then following, Sega has went to feature other prominent properties in the Super Monkey Ball release at the time with Sonic the Hedgehog. For Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, the publisher announced with a new trailer that Jet Set Radio’s Beat is to be a playable character and even swaps the bananas with spray cans. Now, another trailer has been shared revealing that Sonic & Tails are to be playable in the new experience coming later this fall. You can watch the new trailer in the video below: “SEEEGA! Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles “Tails” Prower are rolling into Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania as playable characters, free and unlockable on all platforms through normal gameplay at launch,” the description for the trailer reads. Adding, “This combined celebration of the Super Monkey Ball 20th and Sonic The Hedgehog 30th anniversaries sees Classic Sonic and Classic Tails speed through over 300 Stages with the monkey gang and friends!” In other exciting Sega news, it was revealed in the latest financial report that Phantasy Star Online 2 received the largest number of active players to date. Combining native and western markets reveal that roughly 9 million players logged in for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to play Sonic or Tails first in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania? Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania arrives to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 5, 2021.

Review: Eldest Souls

Developer – Fallen Flag Studio Publisher – United Label, CI Games Platform – Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows The comes a time when playing a difficult game where I ask myself a few questions. Was the difficulty worth it? At the end of a difficulty fight do I feel like I learned something? Is there enough behind those epic fights to keep me invested in the world itself? Or does the game just pile on difficulty through artificial means? Do I feel more happy that I’m done with the game because I feel like I accomplished something, or because I’m just glad to be done with it? Well, while the fights are so frustrating, the combat is fun and fluid. It made me want to beat the game even more and just “get good.” This game isn’t for everyone! Eldest Souls is a game that is described as “Fast-paced and brutally challenging, Eldest Souls is a unique Boss-Rush soulslike experience. In a final act of vengeance, the Old Gods have unleashed a great Desolation upon the world. Mankind’s only hope lies with a lone warrior… and his greatsword of pure Obsydian.” It definitely is fast paced during the boss fights and brutally challenging. The Boss-Rush portion is accurate, there are 9 bosses in the game, each with their own unique styles and attacks. These bosses are all that there are in terms of enemies, much like Shadow of the Colossus without the grand scale of the world. Then we get to “Soulslike experience…” The factors that are outlined for a Soulslike game I found at Codex Gamicus and I think at least this is the best list of factors that make a game a “Soulslike.” I’ll let you decide if you consider this one, but I do not. So don’t go in expecting this or you will most likely be disappointed. I’ll break it down below… Higher than average difficulty – Check, no quest Eldest Souls has this down. Experience and leveling – Check, every time you beat a boss you get a skill point to put into the tree Stamina Bar – Check, you can dodge three times and the bars refill over time to refresh your dodge. Loot – Sorta, there are no additional weapons or armor to equip, but you do find items that are for mini-quests. Well designed maps with shortcuts – No, the map itself is fairly straight forward. You can go to pretty much any boss at any time. Mysterious story, with lore found within the world itself – The pieces of story besides the intro cinematic are told through letters and characters in the world. Penalties for death – No, there are no penalties outside of starting a fight over again immediately. Death run – No, when you die you respawn at the boss until you decide not to. Challenging bosses – Check, this is definitely accurate. Combat focused on reading enemy patterns and adapting to difficult situations – Kinda, I’ll talk about this below. Character creation – No – At least not outside of choosing your skill tree abilities. Item customization – Kinda? You can equip gems to your skill tree that effect your abilities with your attacks. No weapon choice. Backstab/sneak attack – No, the combat relies on you just swinging your sword or charging your attacks. No bonus damage from attacking from behind. Multiplayer integration – No, no way to PVP, or PVE co-op. Let’s focus on 99.9% of the game, the boss fights. These fights are so chaotic, projectiles are flying everywhere while at the same time the boss is swinging at you. While some of the bosses just seem absurb, there are some really nice examples of boss fights. It’s satisfying learning the attack patterns and learning the puzzle of the fight. On the more chaotic fights, it felt like there needs to be opportunities to learn the fight and highlighting tells of an attack. When you crowd the fight with so many attacks, you are so focused on avoiding those that you lose the overall focus of the fight… It becomes a game of agression not tactics. Doing as much damage as you can to heal yourself through the chaos is the best tactic that I found. As the game goes on you win more easily, which was a weird juxtupous. It wasn’t because I was learning patterns or something new in the game, but because I got better skills that increased my damage and healing abilities. Eventually, the fights got to the point where I was learning what damage I could take and skills to ignore to focus on powering up my abilities so I could heal past anything. You will easily die over 50 plus times against a boss. Sometimes it feels like the boss just didn’t damage you enough to kill you with the slew of attacks and you healed yourself because of the spacing of attacks that attempt. There are no iframes (invincibility frames) to take advantage of, so you can easily just get hit 3-4 times during a single attack and die instantly. It a crushing but satisfying experience to those that seek this kind of gameplay. Outside of the boss fights, you travel through the world which is honestly very lacking in terms of content. I love the art-style, so its nice to look around for the lore in the world by finding notes or an item that someone is looking for. The problem is, these things don’t really provide anything worth while. The lore is just not memorable, only one character you talk to multiple times is a Bard and he is the most interesting thing about the game for me in terms of lore and exploration. Many of the characters you meet offer a line of dialogue and once you find their item they offer another line of dialogue and that is about it. I would have much rather

Formerly Typhoon Studios Forms Team Raccoon Logic, Obtains Rights For Journey To The Savage Planet

Following the impressive launch that was Journey to the Savage Planet from developer Typhoon Studios, it was no surprise at the time that Google’s Stadia Games and Entertainment decided to acquire the Montreal studio. However, it baffled many to learn that the internal first-party network would be dismantled with industry veteran Jade Raymond at the top. During the aftermath, it was quickly issued that the decision heavily affected Typhoon Studios. In that, patchwork for Journey to the Savage Planet grew difficult since Google was current owners of the IP, which did not allow the team to work on the game. Additionally, one report also noted that the closing at the time also withheld chances for a Journey to the Savage Planet sequel as well. But in a new announcement on Wednesday, former Typhoon Studios has now been reformed into Raccoon Logic. In addition to the unveiling, the team also obtained the rights to Journey to the Savage Planet most excitingly. We’re super excited to continue the work we started at Typhoon Studios, and build upon the Journey to the Savage Planet franchise in the future. We would like to thank our partners at Tencent, Google, and 505 for their support. We’re fortunate to have put together an amazing team, many of whom helped build Savage Planet, and we’ve added some great new talent as well. Reid Schneider, Raccoon Logic Studio Head “We’re excited to be back in the indie space, making the games we truly believe in with an amazing new team,” Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director at Raccoon Logic adds. “The early investment from Tencent is a huge boost, meaning we can do significant work on our own before we start talking to publishers. We love systemic games, games with a sense of humor and a big heart, and games with strong flavours that get reactions from players. We’re going to keep pushing on those ideas and we’ll have something to show soon!” More on now-Raccoon Logic’s Journey to the Savage Planet, Rectify Gaming sampled the game back at PAX West 2019 prior to its release. Gregory Dawes gave his experience to be “What I feel the game really delivers on is the whole co-op experience. […] Exploring with a friend really seems like it will be a blast and with upgrades applying for both of you, you won’t be left behind while your friend takes all the glory.” You can read the full feature by heading here. Are you interested to see the new direction that Raccoon Logic is heading? Source: Raccoon Logic

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Confirmed To Be Running On Unreal Engine 5, GSC Game World Shares

While the wait for a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game was long, the amount of time left if nothing for the amount of patience fans already endured. This past June, developer GSC Game World announced that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is expect to ship later on in 2022. Specifically in April, the game will hit PC and for the first time on console with Xbox Series X|S being the targeted platforms. However, when pressed in regards to when other systems can expect the game to be delivered, the team did not have an answer. In that, the team told there were “no plans” when urged about a PlayStation port for the game. In addition, Xbox is also suggested to be forecasted for potential mod support as well, the team indicated previously. Now this week, GSC Game World has revealed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is rendered using Unreal Engine 5. While the proprietary engine is not out just yet, the Ukrainian developer is among a select number of teams that already acquired the suite ahead of release. In the handful of days, it was revealed that multiple Xbox Game Studios teams already got its hands on Unreal Engine 5. Through job listings for both Obsidian Entertainment & Undead Labs, the developers are integrating the Epic Games suite. This could answer for GSC Game World acquiring a developer kit with its marketing ties to Microsoft. Previously, GSC Game World did confirm that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is projected to feature 120 frames per second performance with raytracing support. If Unreal Engine 5 is being utilized, then that could be very likely to be the case coming spring 2022. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited learning more about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is arriving to Xbox Series X|S and PC on April 28, 2022.

Focus Home Interactive Announces Acquisition For French Developer Dotemu

In regards to the current projects underway at developer Dotemu, the list continues to grow in recent months. Firstly, the team is in collaboration with Tribute Games to deliver Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The game is to be a successor to previous cabinet releases of the now-owned Nickelodeon franchise. The game is currently listed for PC & Nintendo Switch. Additionally, published title Metal Slug Tactics was recently featured during the Wednesday-held Nintendo Indie World Showcase. But, Wednesday also commenced the open beta for Windjammers 2. While the game still has no listed release date, the playtest is available now until next weekend for PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5. This week, publisher Focus Home Interactive announced to be acquiring Paris-based Dotemu. The purchase is said to consist of €38.5 million (77.5 percent company share) and continued with €15 million conditional payment. The arrival of Dotemu marks a key step in the acceleration of the Group’s growth and in the diversification of its expertise. By enriching our editorial line, we are opening up a new revenue stream and new market shares to conquer in a fast-growing sector. We are delighted to welcome to the Focus Group talents such as Cyrille Imbert and his teams, who have succeeded in making games attractive and giving them new life for millions of players around the world. This transaction is a good example of our desire to bring together talents through a long-term partnership with Cyrille, who will remain President and shareholder Dotemu and become a member of the Group’s Executive Committee and future shareholder of Focus Home Interactive. Christophe Nobileau, Focus Home Interactive CEO “Joining the Focus Home Interactive Group was an obvious choice for Dotemu,” Cyrille Imbert, Dotemu CEO shares. We share the same passion for video games, the same desire to improve, as well as the same values of respect and benevolence towards our partners and teams. While continuing its activities, this new collaboration will allow Dotemu to benefit from the incontestable expertise of Focus Home Interactive’s teams for the production of AA titles and therefore launch the production of future remakes or sequels on licenses of first-generation consoles. “While retaining the editorial and strategic independence that has made it successful, Dotemu will be able to give even greater ambition to its projects and give itself the means to broaden the range of services offered to studios, in order to guarantee the success of their productions on the retro label as well as on the publishing label The Arcade Crew. “Therefore, Dotemu is ideally positioned to achieve its ambitious growth plan to triple its tumover in the medium term. My mission will also be to share Dotemu’s expertise with Focus Home Interactive’s teams, to select and convince talented teams to join the Group in order to build, together, a key player in the video game industry on a global scale.” Are you surprised by the recent acquisition announcement? Source: Focus Home Interactive

Windjammers 2 Open Beta Live Now Until August 22, Dotemu Announced

Although the original and well-remembered Windjammers arcade cabinet experience shipped back in 1994, developer Dotemu is on the way to delivering the franchise to an entirely new generation of platforms with the official sequel, Windjammers 2. Previously, Google announced that the game is expecting a Stadia version alongside the standard PC release as well. Now in a new announcement from Dotemu over on PlayStation Blog, the game is now arriving to PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5. From the team that also encaptured the beloved Streets of Rage IP with last year’s Streets of Rage 4 is planning to ship the game very soon. But, the team this week launched an open beta for the game that is currently live. While the arrival of Windjammers 2 is still officially undetermined, Dotemu is to hold the public playtest leading into the end of next weekend. Development is going well, and we wanted to provide gamers with a sneak-peek before our launch later this year. So get your controllers ready, because from August 11 until August 22 we’re hosting an open Beta for Windjammers 2 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The open Beta will be free and available for all – no PlayStation Plus subscription is required. Also, Windjammers 2 will offer cross-play between PlayStation consoles, so you’ll face players from both platforms. It’ll be a blast! […] Windjammers 2 is not only fun and exciting, it’s also competitive – which is why the open Beta will feature ranked matches. We want to build a global community around the game and we know that international competitions are essential. Cyrille Imbert, Dotemu CEO Confirmed for the open beta includes a total of eight stages & characters: four of each. Those characters are Steve Miller. Gary Scott, Loris Biaggi, and Sophie De Lys. The available maps include Beach, Ring, Stadium, and Rooftop. While there is no direct understanding to the release for Windjammers 2 just yet, Dotemu does tease more will be revealed later on. “Some of the features we’ve cooked up for the full game will remain a secret for now, but don’t worry – you’ll get your fair share of surprises later on, I can tell you that much.” Previously, Dotemu in collaboration with Tribute Games announced to be working on another legacy release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The game is a four-player arcade-like brawler with no confirmed release date as of reporting. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited to try Windjammers 2 in the coming week? Windjammers 2 is listed for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia. Source: PlayStation Blog

Life Is Strange Remastered Collection Delayed To 2022, Life Is Strange: True Colors Nintendo Switch Version Pushed To Late 2021

In terms of the upcoming pipeline of announcements underway for the Life is Strange IP, not all is involved with developer Dontnod Entertainment. Firstly, team Deck Nine Studios (Life is Strange: Before the Storm) is working on a new entry, Life is Strange: True Colors. The game follows a new character Alex as she returns to her home town upon unearthing her new ability to sense people’s emotions telepathically. However, the original developer is involved with Life is Strange Remastered Collection. Scheduled to launch this September alongside Life is Strange: True Colors, it is a reworking of the original release with better optimizations for last-generation and current machines. Additionally, Nintendo recently announced that the game is expecting a Nintendo Switch release as well. But, Dontnod Entertainment announced on Wednesday that Life is Strange Remastered Collection will be missing its promised release later this fall in favor for a new arrival landing next year in 2022. “Due to the ongoing challenges of the worldwide pandemic, we want to alleviate any additional pressure on the Life is Strange team by giving more time between the release of Life is Strange: True Colors and the Life is Strange Remastered Collection,” the team explains in the letterhead. “For this reason, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection for all platforms.” While Deck Nine Games plans to go forward with its planned DLC ‘Life is Strange: Wavelengths’ for Life is Strange: True Colors, there is more upsetting news: the Nintendo Switch version is not shipping in September. “Life is Strange: True Colors for Nintendo Switch is running a little late. We won’t be quite ready to release on September 10 – but we still plan to release this year.” While Square Enix continues to green light more releases for the Life is Strange IP, developer Dontnod Entertainment does not include the franchise as part of its growing release roadmap. In an interview with IGN, the firm explained it wanted to expand with new IPs. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you upset by the news drop for Life is Strange this week? Life is Strange Remastered Collection is to ship sometime in 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia.