Bethesda announced that the Prey demo will turn into a trial meaning that progress will be retained should you choose to purchase the game.

Prey - PC and Console Trial

Don't miss the mind-bending sci-fi adventure that some critics are already calling the "best game of 2017." If you're a PC gamer and haven't yet played Prey, now you have the perfect opportunity. Starting today, the critically acclaimed game from the masterminds at Arkane Studios will be available as a PC trial for the first-time ever.

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Also today, Prey will shift from a demo to a trial on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That means anyone who wants to test out Prey ahead of a purchase can retain their progress along with any Trophies/Achievements earned during the trial.

Recently, Arkane Studios also released update 1.05, which addresses more than 30 fixes to a range of issues, including the screen-tearing that has affected a portion of the PlayStation audience. Check out the patch notes for a full list of all the fixes in Update 1.05.

In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever - but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted. As you dig into the dark secrets of Talos I and your own past, you must survive using the tools found on the station, your wits, weapons, and mind-bending abilities.

Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates will be released onto Steam October 4th.

RELEASE DATE & WRITER ANNOUNCED!!!

READY FOR A DIP IN THE CANALS OF NEW YORK CITY?

Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates to Rise onto Steam on October 4

Neo-Victorian RPG from Coin Operated Games Reveals Author/Cartoonist Paul Noth as Story Writer

Auburn, New Hampshire - August 16, 2017 - Coin Operated Games announces today that its upcoming Neo-Victorian RPG Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates, will be coming to PC via Steam starting on October 4, 2017. Developed by a team of industry veterans from such influential companies as Crytek, Creative Assembly, Codemasters and Digital Reality, Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates is a top-down isometric RPG that takes place in an alternate industrial New York circa 1911.

... water is everywhere but none of it to drink...

Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates depicts a troubled New York in which the entire city is flooded by rising oceans and the citizens now face a new threat: the fresh water pipes have stopped and there is no water to drink!

Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates features an original story penned by renowned writer/comic artist Paul Noth, a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, where his work has appeared regularly since 2004. He created the Emmy-nominated animated series "Pale Force" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and was animation consultant for Saturday Night Live. He's also developed shows for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Nickelodeon, and his trilogy of middle-grade novels will be published by Bloomsbury, starting in April of 2018 with "How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens."

"After writing for different media throughout my career, I'm very excited to be working with Coin Operated Games to write their video game script," said Paul Noth. "The world that has been created in Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates is amazing and truly unique, so I'm thrilled to be able to develop a story set in this new world."

Although set in a fictional, alternate history, the game pays homage to historic accounts by adding authentic items such as patent medicines including poisons or tonics made from dangerous ingredients. Many of the games' objectives and side quests will tie directly into the experiences that someone in the 19th century would have. The game's authenticity reflects scenes from New York circa 1900, while tying the storyline to current day themes such as global warming and the rising of the oceans.

"We are very honored that Paul is working with us on the storyline for Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates," said John Randall, Creative Director of Empyre. "He is a world class writer, and has been invaluable to us with helping to shape the direction of our games' signature Neo Victorian story and experience."

Currently in development by Coin Operated Games, Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates will be available via Steam on October 4, 2017. More information will be shared in the coming weeks once the waters die down...

For more product information visit:

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Empyrethegame-272522026282358/

Twitter at https://twitter.com/EmpyreTheGame

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpyreTheGame

Hero-U has a new kickstarter update which announces Alpha Testing.

Mysterious Events in Hero-U

There are mysterious forces behind Hero-U. It is not obvious who is actually financing the school, or why. As for the greater society of Sardonia, we don't spell it out in the game, but obviously Thief and Rogue are not the only professions. However...

Even though Shawn is a poor young man with an overworked single mother and apparently no connections, someone is looking out for him. Maybe more than one "someone". That results in an invitation to audition for the Thieves' Guild, and then a mandatory "invitation" to Hero-U.

Nothing happens by coincidence. The existence of the school, and the fact that it's built on a "haunted" old castle, is also not a coincidence.

Players will learn something about these mysteries in Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption. Other stories will be developed in future games of the series, and some of it will stay locked in our "Game Bible" as background for all of the games and game events.

Equally Mysterious Hero-U Game Development

It would be wonderful if making a game was like turning on a light switch, or even like taking a collection of Legos and turning them into a stunning model.

Actually, it *is* a lot like that, only there are about 600 models to put together... or maybe 6000. The mystery is that we can even put so many distinct pieces together to create one coherent game.

Every week, Hero-U creeps a little closer to being a complete, fun game. Along the way, JP and Al continue to draw, paint, model, and animate the game. Joshua, Cidney, and our secret programmers move between bringing the game to life and squashing bugs.

For a little more about the importance of each team member to every game we've made, and to Hero-U in particular, I posted an article to the Hero-U blog, http://hero-u.com/it-takes-a-team/.

Ryan Grogan has recently returned to the team to help us finish the music and soundscape to make Rogue to Redemption sound as amazing as it looks.

Josh Mandel and Lori alternate between tickling your funny bones and writing moments of suspense, drama, and tenderness. Yes, they're both still writing game content as we get feedback on parts of the game that need more direction or energy.

The story of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is a difficult balancing act as we strive to make Shawn O'Conner a hero even though he'll always be a rogue. Developing the game is like juggling hundreds of spinning plates at a time. Only when every one of them is in balance will the game be complete. After almost five years of development, it's all coming together.

Now it's time to begin outside testing and find out how much more still needs to be done.

Alpha Test Time

There are a lot of steps involved in getting a game to outside testers. We've developed our own built-in bug reporter that catches both software errors and player reports. Once they appear in our testing database, we do "triage" on them and assign them to specific team members to fix.

Another step is contacting and working with backers. I'm starting out with a small subset of our Alpha Test level backers to be our first guinea pigs, er, brave testers. Once we have the reporting tool adequately tested, I'll expand that by stages to all 350 Alpha Test backers. We are asking each tester to sign a Beta Test agreement similar to the ones used by Electronic Arts and other major game developers. We don't want anyone revealing the mysteries too soon!

Once our first testers have looked at the game in sections, we'll put everything together for a full Beta test accessible to all 2000 backers who chose a Beta Test level. This will be a full, feature-complete game, but it will probably still have some rough edges. Waves of Beta tests will continue until we are satisfied that Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is ready for release.

The initial test build includes the first few weeks at Hero-U. We've disabled the second half of the game and all combat areas. Over the next couple of months, we'll gradually open up additional areas of the game for testing. We'll move from Alpha to Beta testing once we've revealed the entire game.

As always, keep your information current at https://hero-u-adventure-role-playing-game.backerkit.com and watch your email for your alpha or beta test invitation.

From Mystery to Discovery

This has been an epic game development process, and even when the game is tested and released, there will be much more to come. We will keep posting updates and stay in touch with the Hero-U community. Then it will be time to begin work on Hero-U: Wizard's Way and the rest of the series.

Like the Starship Enterprise, once we complete our five year mission, there will be new ports, new destinations, and new crew to take us all where no one has gone before.

Speaking of which...
[...]

PC Gamer thinks that the immersive sims sub-genre is in danger:

The uncertain future of games like Deus Ex and Dishonored

Immersive sims have been held up as the pinnacle of PC game design, but recent sales may mean the genre is endangered.

Warren Spector is stuck in Prey. The director of Deus Ex, who has worked on many games since labeled "immersive sims"—in fact, he coined the term in a post-mortem of Deus Ex —has been playing the modern games inspired by classics like Thief and System Shock. But he hasn't finished Prey yet. Or, as he puts it: "The crew quarters are kicking my butt."

He's enjoying it though, just as he enjoyed the other recent immersive sim from Arkane Studios, Dishonored 2. "I thought they were both excellent examples of what I think of when I say 'immersive sim,'" Spector says. "They removed barriers to belief that I was in another world and they let me approach problems as problems, rather than as puzzles. I'm really glad Arkane exists and that they're so committed to the genre. Without them I'd have fewer games to play!"

Spector's not the only one who'd mourn their loss. Arkane is still around, but there's this uneasy feeling in the air that there's now some reason to worry. Not about Arkane, necessarily, but the immersive sim in general, this genre held up as the shining example of PC gaming at its most smartest and most complex. None of the last three big-budget immersive sims—Prey, Dishonored 2, and Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided—have broken a million sales on Steam.

It's always been a niche genre, defined by player freedom, environmental storytelling, and a lot of reading diary entries. How long can they be propped up by the fact that some designers really like making them?

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Farflame spotted some news about the 3d side scroller RPG Journey's End on ModdDB:

Devlog #2 - Cameras

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Welcome back, Journeyers!
Today, we bring you a number of engine improvements. Most of these updates aren't super exciting from a player's perspective, but they're really important to making the game look and feel great!

[...]

Contrary to IGN Screen Critics feels that Undertale is overrated:

Why I Feel Undertale is Overrated

Undertale is an adventure RPG styled game for the PC that has been extremely popular and loved for quite some time now. However, I have always questioned what makes this game so great compared to the other RPG titles out there. There are some issues I have personally found with the game that leads me to believe it is overrated for what it is.

My first issue with the game is the fact that it is considered an RPG despite the way the gameplay is. There are two routes a player can take within the Undertale: the Genocide route and the Pacifist route. Genocide is when the player kills every monster they encounter, and Pacifist is when the player spares every monster they come across. However, if the player takes the typical RPG Genocide route, there are consequences. I have a problem with this because a typical RPG would be for a player to defeat every single monster they encounter. However, Undertale punishes you for playing this game as a true RPG. Why consider this a true RPG if the player is punished for playing the game through as a typical RPG would be played?

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Warren Spector told Gamesindustry:

Devs must define success for themselves

Ahead of his keynote address at Pax Dev, the Deus Ex and System Shock designer warns that it simply isn't enough to "make a fun little game"

Like many entertainment sectors, the world of video games is a business. But it's a business ultimately driven by passionate and creative individuals. And that matters... a lot.

It's especially important to OtherSide Entertainment's Warren Spector, the industry veteran famous for designing Deus Ex, among other classics. Spector will be giving the keynote address at PAX Dev later this month (a conference that excludes the press), and he spoke with GamesIndustry.biz about the message he aims to deliver to his fellow developers.

At the heart of Spector's talk, called "Developer, Know Thyself", is the notion that creators shouldn't let the commercial side define their success. Moreover, developers should be making games that actually mean something to them.

"The big point I'm trying to make is that it isn't enough just to think, 'Oh I'm going to make a fun little game.' For the sake of developer sanity and also for the medium itself we need to be thinking a little bigger than that, and really think [about] what success means.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted seven quick facts about Beyond Good & Evil 2 on Cultured Vultures:

Beyond Good and Evil 2: 7 Quick Facts You Should Know

A game of almost startling ambition, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is promising a lot of wild things.
They say good things come to those who wait. If you saw Michel Ancel’s reaction to the long-awaited unveiling of his Beyond and Good Evil 2 at E3 2017, you should know that a lot of patience goes a long way. There were many reveals over the three day bonanza of jumbled “exclusive” terminology, awkward YouTuber appearances, and vague promises, but not much else on display caught the attention quite like the almost mythical sequel to a cult classic getting its first exhibition after so many years of waiting.

[...]

1. Beyond Good and Evil 2 will be a prequel
2. Beyond Good and Evil 2 will feature character customisation
3. Crew dynamics will be important in Beyond Good and Evil 2
4. There will be no loading times in Beyond Good and Evil 2
5. Beyond Good and Evil 2 features procedural generation
6. Beyond Good and Evil 2 will have online co-op
7. Beyond Good and Evil 2 will have plenty of RPG elements

[...]

@PCGamer THQ Nordic have announced a reboot of the gothic horror adventure Black Mirror.

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"Even players unfamiliar with the previous games in the series can also enjoy Black Mirror," so reads a statement from THQ Nordic. "The major difference between the new and old Black Mirror, apart from the modern graphics of course, will be a new gameplay element: interaction with vision-like apparitions."

Speaking to that last part, said vision-like apparitions will help players learn more about the past of the protagonist's family as the game's eerie atmosphere echoes the style of Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft. 

Not much more to go on for now, however Black Mirror is due November 28, 2017. More information can be found via its official site.

Update: Maintenance has been completed.

We will be performing some maintenance today at 13:00 CEST / 7 am EDT / 9 pm WST.

It should not take long in theory, but as has happened before theory is failing sometimes and it might take up to an hour.

The devs of Vaporum announced that the game is done. Normally that is accompanied with a release date, but not in this case as they are still working with some PR people on gaining momentum before the game is released, which might be somewhere in September.

We are very sorry for not posting for a while about the project, but the amount of focus we put into the game instead of writing about it was time well spent!

The game is done!

You can expect an announcement about the release date in the coming weeks.

These past two years have been a rollercoaster ride for us. We’ve fought on many winning fronts and it looks like the fight is nearly over. There are just a few slain foes who are here and there sticking out the fingers from their coffins:

• Fixing a few remaining bugs.
• Balancing the game difficulty.
• General polishing of the game.

These are basically done, but we are still vigilant to possible issues that might come at us from the dark depths of quality assurance.

We are also preparing the PR for the release in cooperation with pros in the field, which is, really, a new experience for us. We want to make sure everyone who might like our game will get to know about it — this is something you can help us with by sharing information about us.

There is a lot of organizational stuff that has still to be taken care of and since there are just 4 of us in the team + some help from external contributors, we ask for your patience. We are aware that we are hugely behind schedule, but we are planning to release the game ASAP, and September looks like a promising estimation.

Thanks Hurls!

Daveyd reminded us that ICY: Frostbite Edition has been released on Steam a few days ago.

ICY: Frostbite Edition is now available! Press on install and download it, we are eager to know what you think about it!

Bugs have been squashed! Mechanics have been improved! The game changed a lot!

You can find a massive changelog clicking here![www.innervoid.net]

The game has currently a 25% discount.

The results of the Larian Studios RPG player survey are in. It is a PDF that can be found on Google Docs.

One of the things that I noticed in it was that the majority of responders don't think co-op is that important in a game (it is listed twice, so not sure what to make of that) and that there is a preference for story-rich games with a focus on character progression and tactical combat. So, that would be Original Sin without co-op?

Thanks Hurls!

Here is a new update for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, which contains a summary of things that have already been reported before, via blogs and social media.

We're back with another episode of 'From the Feed of the Director.' This time we have a few surprises for you, as we look into our internal Obsidian blogs and pull out only the juiciest insights. You'll also get some information on some of the things that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Game Director, Josh Sawyer, has shared on social media as well, for the gadfly-types among you.

In this video (all footage is work in progress) :

• "This ship's wheel is too damn big!"
• Bombs of the Deadfire - to throw or not to throw?
• Guns Work Best When You Line Up and Everyone Shoots at Once, by Ulysses S. Magran
• Dancin' and barfin'
• Yes, Josh's cat is in the game again

Bleeding Cool has reviewed the Western RPG West of Loathing:

This Paper Town Ain’t Big Enough: We Review ‘West Of Loathing’

I really love playing games that don’t take themselves too seriously. Not so much to the point of breaking the fourth wall (with some exceptions who get it right), but at least taking whatever genre they have and making fun of the idea while also making it an interesting game. The Kingdom Of Loathing was one of those games where you got to play an RPG in a stick-figure world where it poked fun at the genre and some of the absurdity of it, but also gave you a great adventure to embark upon. Asymmetric has now created a sequel of sorts called West of Loathing, which I happily got to play for review.

[...]

West of Loathing is one of the best indie titles of the year, hands down. It’s an awesome experience and made me want to go back and play it again, choosing a different horse and side character. Even with its flaws, this was a fantastic experience with great replay value, as no two adventures can be the same once you make the early choices. I loved playing it so much that I didn’t care how many hours I spent glued to the screen. I highly recommend it both for the humor and the gameplay. West of Loathing is a must for RPG fans, and something so simplistic in nature that casual gamers will enjoy it, too.

Score: 10/10

IGN reviewed Undertale - and it got a perfect 10:

Undertale Review

Undertale’s clever understanding of the RPG mindset and fantastic writing make it an unforgettable experience unique to games.

I finished my first playthrough of Undertale in stunned silence. My journey had begun with dumb puns and silly puzzles, but the end affected me in a way I never expected. That’s kind of Undertale’s specialty — playing with our expectations of what an RPG should be, subverting them, and using them to drive a story unique to what games can do. Its strong writing, integration of gameplay with storytelling, and acute understanding of its audience all build to something that surprises at every turn.

[...]

The Verdict

It's hard to express just how much I adore Undertale without spoiling anything significant, but that's what I love about it. It tells its story in such a dynamic way, and with such a great understanding of the RPG player’s mindset, that it couldn’t have been told in any other way. It's a masterfully crafted experience that I won't forget any time soon.

Score: 10/10 It might not be pretty, but Undertale is absolutely a work of art.

An open word action RPG set in a medieval world, named Exzore : The Rising is now available on Kickstarter.

Tiny Shark Interactive Launches Kickstarter for Exzore: The Rising Open world action RPG features realistic character interactions and consequences,mechanical gadgets, modular crafting and more

London, England--August 15, 2017--Tiny Shark Interactive has launched the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for their upcoming open world action RPG, Exzore: The Rising for PC, XboxOne and PlayStation4, along with a new trailer for the game. The campaign will run through September 18 and may be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/864487186/exzore-the-rising  

"[Tiny Shark] looks like it has the basics sorted out and a clear direction for how the systems will work together. Exzore: The Rising has a lot of potential," said RPGamer. Commented One Angry Gamer, "The one thing that I was most intrigued by...was the crafting mechanic. This feature allowed players to tinker around with different sword combinations by mixing and matching hilts, blades and crosses. This could be one of the highlights of the game depending on how well it all plays out and how effective the different weapon choices are when you utilize them in combat."

Set in the medieval world of Eogaan, the game follows Damien Clive, former commander of the Exzore army unit, as he is emerges from the ashes of his betrayal to seek retribution and regain his honor. Exzore: The Rising features the use of "mechanical gadgets" which give special abilities to the hero and can be used in combat and exploration. The game also features a unique Affinity system, which affects the player's experience and how the story unfolds as the character interacts with the game world and the various factions, as well as an extensive combat system that allows players to mix and match Exzore abilities in a wide variety of combos.   Eogaan is split into four factions, each with its own community and rules. As you play, your interactions between the different factions will affect the game's story and how it progresses. Favor any faction of your choice to get special missions, rewards, benefits, and abilities. Each faction has its own motivations and agendas. The Affinity parameter will be altered as a consequence of player's choices in game. Every mission will alter affinity, increasing toward one and decreasing toward another. Affinities are important because they directly affect the character and mission progression, and play an important role in gameplay experience. Choose your faction and actions wisely, as they may alter how the story ends.

• Play as an Exzore - As Master Exzore, you have the ability to equip up to six unique mechanical gadgets at a time - to help in combat and exploration. Each of these gadgets is different from one another and offers unique special abilities.
• Faction Affinity System - Favor any faction of your choice to get special missions, rewards, benefits, and abilities. Each faction has its own motivations and agendas. Choose your faction carefully as it may alter the game progression and ending.
• Companion - Icarus, your pet Golden Eagle is your most trusted ally in the field. Use his abilities to perform various scouting activities, from spotting targets or treasures to aiding in combat.
• Dynamic World - Feel the game world react to various natural factors like time, seasons, weather (rain, snowfall, the wind), day-night cycle, etc. Player interaction and exploration alter the game world, making it more alive.
• Smart Characters and Enemies - Every character in game has his/her own mind and will develop through the game. Everyone, right from common town folk to your greatest enemies will get smarter and stronger as you level up too.
• Nonlinear Quests - Every quest in game is designed to be completed in many different ways. Every choice has its own unique outcomes and consequences.
• Unique Combat system - Indulge in well-crafted combat system containing smart and challenging foes. Mix and match multiple Exzore abilities in combination with your weapons to create powerful combos.

  Exzore: The Rising is expected to launch in late 2018

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows has received a major update giving it a new game plus mode. This coincides with a price drop of 20% on GOG.

v1.20 with New Game+ and European languages now live!

New game features in Patch v1.20!

In this patch, we have added the New Game Plus mode that is only accessible after players have completed the game once. Features of NG+ mode include:

• Multiple conversations throughout the game have additional lines of dialogue that add more colour to our cast of characters.
• Cicero now has mastery over all 4 elements, greatly expanding his skill tree and flexibility in combat.
• Players are now able to respec skills at any time within the Skills Menu while out of combat.
• 5 more skill points are awarded at the start of the game.
• 12 brand new masks to be found throughout the party's adventure.
• 2 new secret bosses have been added. Search for them where Maskrunners hide!
• 1 new boss fight added to Seimora's Throne.
• We have also added text localizations for German, French, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese and Turkish languages!

v1.20 Patch Notes (8th August 2017)

Gameplay changes

• New Game Plus mode has been added.
• Added localizations for German, French, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese and Turkish languages.
• Chapter Select (at the Main Menu) now has a chapter description and preview image for each chapter.
• 5 more skill points are now awarded between receiving your first mask in the Hall of Bearings and the end of the Quiet Order. This change has a retroactive effect on existing save games. This is separate (and additional to) the 5 additional skill points available in NG+ mode.
• Added "Already Obtained" notifications for when the player obtains Masks, Inks, Engravings and Codex entries that they have already collected.
• Updated controller scheme for navigating the options, skills and behaviour menus.
• Updated PS4 controller button icons. Updated tutorial texts and images when using a controller to play.
• Added subtitles when Cicero replays certain past dialogues in his head.
• Added controller shortcuts to open some menus. The same shortcuts can be used on toast notifications.

In an article on gamasutra the author writes about the need for indie game developers to start running a business if they want to make any money of their game development effort.

Wake up! Releasing your game, the actual pressing the release-button? it's not going to make you any sales! Maybe, just maybe, 1 out of all the readers of this article will be creating a game that goes big.. but that would be asking for a lot.

I've seen developers pressing the Steam release button, some even make this a bit of a clumsy, live streaming event where they aren't really sure what the steps are to releasing the game on Steam, and that it then takes some time for the game to show up.

Pressing that button, is not magically gonna give you sales or even eyeballs on your game. It will be on the "new releases" list for MAYBE a few hours, if you're lucky, cause you'll be "promoted" to the second page in no time.

Same goes for releasing on iOS or Android. There is no big fanfare or huge event or cheerleaders clapping for you. The store entry for your game changes it's database field "released=no" to "released=yes" and that's it!  There are no crowds lining up to buy the game that instant, nobody cares!

This is not a bitter representation of the process either, this is just really all it is. Funny thing is that I told a bunch of developers in the days/weeks leading up to their release: hey, the game won't sell much if you don't tell people about it (it might not even sell copies if you DO tell people about it). But most just ignored that, because "you never know"..  .. nope, I do know.

So stop dreaming: releasing games isn't magical, and selling games isn't done by releasing it.

The people of PC Invasion have interviewed matt MacLean, Julia Kernan and Mikey Dowling from Obsidian's about Bastard's Wounds an upcoming DLC for Tyranny.

PC Invasion: Whereabouts in the game’s three acts does Bastard’s Wound slot into the story?

Matt McLean: This DLC is designed to be accessible to players who are at almost any point in the game. We put most of the action in the second Act of the game, to make it accessible to players on any of the major branches of the quest.

PCI: Is that so players who may have already finished Tyranny last year will be able to jump in asap?

MM: We have a New Game Plus mode that was released [for free] alongside the last DLC [Tales from the Tiers]. Our goal with this one is to have a DLC that doesn’t require the player to have already beaten the game. If they beat the game already they can go to an old save at Act Two, or just New Game Plus their way to Act Two. Act One isn’t very long, so we figured that’s the sweet spot to get the most players.

PCI: The spell system was one thing I really enjoyed in Tyranny, will the expansion add anything to that system?

MM: With the last DLC we’ve had some modifications to the spell system in terms of balance. We’re not adding any major sigils, mainly out of a problem of multiplicity. Any new sigil has to interact with every other shape and accent. We certainly thought about it, and it’s something we kinda wanted to do, but it’s something that turned out to be more expensive than we initially thought possible.

In some ways we made the magic system so complex that adding to it is a multiplication problem out of the scope of what we were trying to do.

XCOM 2 expansion War of the Chosen will provide new strategy options.

DETAILS: XCOM 2: War of the Chosen's Covert Actions and a Whole New Strategy Layer

[...]

COVERT ACTIONS
These are essentially non-combat missions. You're allocating resources and soldiers to ferret out information seek out perks that'll benefit XCOM, or rescue captured soldiers. A successful Covert Action can mean additional resources, new soldiers, a new mission, or information leading to a Chosen stronghold. Once players successfully complete three Covert Actions to locate and gain intel on a stronghold, that Chosen's final mission will be available. But don't think that this is simply a matter of you choosing a mission, then waiting for timers to tick down.

Covert Actions can - and will - go sideways. Each mission has a chance of seeing your soldiers get wounded. Worse, a mission could devolve into an ambush. When this happens, the game immediately changes focus from the Avenger to the soldiers deployed on the Covert Action. The player has to move the soldiers to an extraction zone and safely get them out of the ambush. The odds, however, are stacked against you. You won't have a full squad - usually two, maybe three soldiers - and you'll be fighting off enemies as well as ADVENT reinforcements.

Of course, there are ways to mitigate risk. When setting up a Covert Action, you will sometimes be able to add additional soldiers and staff (scientists and engineers) to improve the odds of mission success. Or you'll be able to employ Resistance Orders. We'll get to that in a minute.

INTEL: Examples of Covert Actions

Some of the missions you may undertake in our fight against ADVENT.

Hunt the Chosen: Three separate missions that will lead you to a Chosen Stronghold.

Rescue Soldier: Only available after a soldier has been captured by the Chosen.

Locate Faction: Always available at the start of the game, used to meet the Factions and gain one of their soldiers.

Recruit Faction Soldier

Counter Chosen Activity: Prevents the Chosen from performing their scheduled monthly activity

Breakthrough Research: Activates one of the new breakthrough research techs

Resistance Order: Gives the player another Resistance Order card for the Faction

RESISTANCE ORDERS

Think of Resistance Orders as modifier cards used in CCGs. According to XCOM 2's Senior Producer, Garth DeAngelis, "Design leveraged the foundation of a tried-and-true card system to provide that variability from a mechanical standpoint. These Factions are unpredictable, just like the game itself, and you never know what services they can offer in a given playthrough."

In addition to gameplay depth, unique narrative context was given to each of the new Factions based on those services. The accurate Reapers may allow your squad to insta-kill Lost if you hit them at all, while the Skirmishers may strong arm the Black Market into offering you more favorable deals - it's your choice to take advantage of what you want.

INTEL: Examples of Resistance Orders

Once you gain the trust of the Factions, you may earn policy cards. Here are a few examples, by Faction.

Reaper

Infiltrate: On timed missions, the timer does not begin until the squad has lost concealment.

Volunteer Army: There is a chance that a Resistance soldier will join the XCOM squad for the duration of the mission.

Skirmisher

Bomb Squad: Experimental Grenade and Heavy Weapon projects are completed instantly in the Proving Grounds.

Modular Construction: Facility construction speed is increased by 25%

Templar

Mental Fortitude: All battle madness (panic, obsession, berserk, shattered) only lasts one turn.

Machine Learning: Research breakthroughs are twice as likely to occur.

Something to consider when you start playing the game: Maximize Resistance Orders by thinking ahead. If you know you're going to be excavating or building several new facilities, use cards that help speed the process up. Did you just unlock a new weapon tier and know you're going to use most of your resources to purchase them? Apply cards that will give you additional resources during a supply drop, reduce costs of facility actions, or give you bonuses that would usually cost money (ex. getting additional Resistance contacts).

Making use of these new features will give you more control in the Avenger to execute the perfect strategy in your fight against the Chosen.

That's it for this update. Be sure to follow XCOM on Twitter and Like XCOM on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest information on XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. If you're looking to enlist with the Resistance, join the 2K Forums!

The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians enhanced edition has now been released.

Enhanced Edition !

The version 1.0i has just been released, and this is another important update that brings new features and polishing to the game.

This is the 8th big update since the initial release of the game on Steam, back in November 2015, and hopefully you'll agree that all these updates combined deserve the title of "Enhanced Edition" !

Before seeing a recap of all the improvements done, let's focus on the version 1.0i

So its main additions are :
- a better streamlined party creation with more info where it's needed
- a macro system to save & restore your team members' ability queue
- smoother rendering if you play with a refresh rate higher than 60hz
- new Toggle Selection icon that should make its use clearer when discovering the game

Full changelog can be seen here, as usually : http://steamcommunity.com/app/409450/discussions/0/490123727974362306/?ctp=8#c1457328392103001810
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The Action J-RPG Ys Seven will be released in two weeks:

Ys Seven

Originally released as a PSP exclusive, Ys SEVEN was the first fully 3D Ys title, the first Ys title to include a party-based battle system allowing players to swap control of characters in real-time, and the most story-heavy Ys game of its time.

This original PC port presents the game in full upscaled HD with a wide variety of resolution options, smooth 60 fps gameplay, full Steamworks integration featuring a variety of new achievements, and even a revised localization to ensure players receive the most immersive gaming experience possible.

Join redheaded adventurer Adol Christin and his loyal companion, Dogi, as they make good use of their pirate connections from adventures past to weigh anchor in the bustling port city of Altago – a former world trading capital that was cut off from foreign visitation for far too long by an all-too-recently ended war with the Romun empire.

The people of Altago are still distrustful of foreigners, and the land is crawling with monstrous creatures who are invulnerable to standard steel, rendering Adol’s tried and true arsenal of weapons from games past ineffective. Forced to rearm and retrain from scratch – and to prove his worth to this new country’s somewhat xenophobic populace – Adol takes up a king’s quest to explore a nearby set of ruins, only to find himself embroiled in a high-stakes game of appeasing ancient dragons and saving the world… yet again.

Along the way, he’ll meet a variety of companions old and new who will join him in his quest via the newly introduced party system, wherein up to three characters may be controlled at any one time. Only by mastering the use of pierce, slash, and thrust attacks, as well as dozens of unique skills, quick dodging, “flash guarding,” and more can Adol and his team uncover the mystery of the Five Great Dragons, the five ancient tribes of Altago, and the recent string of earthquakes that threaten to tear apart this ancient and storied land.

Come take part in the first Ys adventure of the modern era, and the latest adventure in Adol Christin’s myriad chronicles. The frenetic challenges and massive bosses that made this historic series famous are back, and they’re bigger than ever.

Make SEVEN your lucky number!

Key Features:

• Fast, real-time combat with dozens of unique abilities, both physical and magical
• A brand new party system allowing for up to three playable characters at once, including Adol’s loyal sidekick Dogi and fan-favorite mercenary Geis from Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
• Enormous screen-filling bosses set to quintessentially Ys rock music composed by the legendary Falcom Sound Team jdk
• One of the most complex and involving storylines of the entire series, spanning well over 20 hours’ worth of gameplay
• Upscaled HD graphics and consistent 60 fps framerate bring this former PSP-exclusive title up to modern PC standards
• Full Steamworks integration, including a bevy of new achievements

Thanks henriquejr!

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that BattleTech has been delayed to 2018:

BattleTech delayed into 2018

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Weisman said in today’s announcement:

“We’d previously been projecting a late 2017 release but now that we’ve revised our AI & combat mechanics in reaction to your feedback, completed a thorough review of the work remaining on the game, and are poised to release the Multiplayer Backer Beta update, all indications are that Paradox & HBS will release BattleTech in early 2018.

“Throughout development, the message we’ve received has been clear, ‘Don’t rush it, just make it great.’ and we have taken that to heart.”

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Two new dungeons are available for The Elder Scrolls Online:

Horns of the Reach DLC Game Pack

Bloodroot Forge and Falkreath Hold, two new challenging dungeons, pit four-player groups against the menacing hordes of the Dreadhorn Clan. Both dungeons contain unique item sets, monster masks, achievements, and collectibles. For more details on the lore, enemies, and rewards, please see the preview articles for Bloodroot Forge and Falkreath Hold on the ESO web site.

Horns of the Reach is also available in a special Collector’s Bundle, which offers a unique selection Horns of the Reach-themed items in addition to the DLC game pack, including the Karthwolf Charger mount, Karthwolf Shepherd pet, and five Crown Experience Scrolls. This exclusive bundle is available for a limited time in the Crown Store for 3,500 crowns.

Update 15 Details

Alongside Horns of the Reach, ZeniMax Online Studios has also released Update 15 for PC and Mac, delivering  a host of overall game improvements that are free for everyone, as well as major additions to ESO’s fast-moving new Battlegrounds PvP, which are free for all owners of ESO: Morrowind.

Battlegrounds additions include a new arena – Arcane University – set in the heart of Cyrodiil’s ruined university, as well as a new game mode, Chaosball, in which players must capture and protect a “ball” to earn points for their team. For more information, please see the ESO web site’s Battlegrounds preview.

Update 15’s general game updates -- free for all players -- includes fixes, balance changes, additions, and improvements that everybody can enjoy. For a complete list of changes and additions, please see the base game update preview on the ESO web site.

@RockPaperShotgun 3030 Deathwar Redux is a retro open world space adventure RPG which will launch from Steam early access on September 13th.

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3030 Deathwar Redux [official site], like the original, is an open-world RPG combining adventure game with 2D Elite-style exploration and combat. The new version provides "an extended adventure, with more characters and content, graphical enhancements, balancing and gameplay changes, a smoother experience and tons of other improvements," developers Crunchy Leaf Games say.

The range of things you can do in its 30 star systems sounds pretty impressive. If you want to take on simple delivery jobs to save up money for a better ship, you can. Or you can fire up the boosters and hunt down some derelict ships, space walk into them and nab the loot. It reminds me a bit of Freelancer in that regard.
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About This Game

3030 Deathwar Redux is an Open World Space Adventure with a twist!

A dead body is found by his crew, then his new ship gets impounded by the cops, something is going on... probably related to a missing freighter with a large cargo of gold bars. Now, John Falcon, a freewheeling space pilot, tries to get back on his feet. But where to start?

* Take on some local delivery jobs and get a better ship?
* Downsize to a Jetsuit and go shooting space-junk for quick money?
* Focus on finding the missing gold shipment before the local gangs and salvage teams?
* Go punch that damn mechanic who sold you a stolen ship?
...and what is this mysterious 'Taoist' group you keep hearing about?

Maybe just take a break and go travelling inter-stellar, in an Open World of more than 30 star systems.

Features
* Open world space exploration and frantic combat with afterburners blazing
* Board Stations, visit the bars and talk to an array of space scum
* Ghostly Derelict Ships to find on your Star-Map, spacewalk into, and salvage valuables
* Large variety of fun Jobs and Missions, with exciting Side Quests
* Diverse ships to buy and upgrade for Performance, Defence and Combat
* Get a fuel-scoop and refuel from the corona of a sun without frying yourself!
* Find Pirate Stations & begin a life of crime, attack innocent traders, steal cargo from traffic
* Get a large cargo ship and go Asteroid Mining for metals, or haul Goods between systems
* Hidden wormhole shortcuts, Comets, Unique Stations and other secrets to find
* An intriguing Main Plot Line... and much, much more!

The Redux version adds: an extended adventure, with more characters and content, graphical enhancements, balancing and gameplay changes, a smoother experience and tons of other improvements!

RockPaperShotgun interviewed one of the developers of Tower of Time.

Tower Of Time [official site] was a tremendous surprise - an early access RPG, from first-time developers, with a unique real-time combat system. That's all three strikes, surely? Except no, it's really fantastic. Having finished the first floor of the tower, what's available for now, I wanted to find out more about how an unknown team from Poland were so audacious as to try (so successfully) at such a project. So I spoke to Krzysztof Monkiewicz, the project's lead, to find out how they got started, and where they're going next.

RPS: Can you tell us a bit about the team behind Tower Of Time? How many of you are there, and what have people worked on before?

Krzysztof Monkiewicz: At the moment we include ten full-time people. During development we contracted a few other freelancers for music, SFX and modelling of characters and environment. The team had experience with several games before, but there were not really any AAA titles. For me, more important than proven experience with large productions was the personality. I was looking for people who are creative, willing to take an active part in the development and not afraid of thinking outside the box. Whether it was a good call - only time will tell, but so far I am very happy with the initial feedback.

RPS: Tower Of Time seems an enormous project for a debut game. Making an RPG is a big enough task, but making one with a new approach to combat - well, that's crazy. How did you decide to start trying?

Monkiewicz: That is utterly crazy, I fully agree. When I announced to my friends that I wanted to leave my previous job (completely different industry) and start in game development, they questioned my mental integrity. However, that was always my dream - to find a way to share my ideas and create games that players will actually want to finish.

As for the scope of the game and genre - I realized we could either start small, create a game that would be a clone of another successful game and hope that it will somehow stand out from the swarm of other indie games, or take a risk and do something large and new. It wasn't a tough decision for me - I took the risk.
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I'll be heading to Gamescom next week and at the moment I have appointments for the games listed below. If there is anything you would like to know, questions you feel I should ask or whatever, let me know.

• An unannounced open world Kung-Fu title
• Battletech
• Call of Cthulhu
• Deep Sky Derelicts
• Divinity: Original Sin 2
• Elex
• Fallof Light
• Gwent
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker
• Seven: The Days Long gone
• Shadows: Heretic Kingdom sequel
• Spellforce 3
• Starpoint Gemini franchise: Current developments and visions for the future
• Tyranny: Bastard's Wound
• Vampyr
• Warhammer 40.000: Inquisitor: Martyr

XBox Tavern interview the community manager for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Rick Lagnese.

...
XT - The game houses many different pathways for many different situations, all of which tend to come with consequences and specific outcomes that alter the journey in the game for the player. How unique would you say Kingdom Come: Deliverance is on this front, next to the likes of (let's say) The Witcher?

RL - The Witcher is a great game in its own right. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a game where we want every player to really think about the choices that they make as many choices will produce different results, even to the point of triggering different cut scenes. We won't tell you how to solve quests. You will have to figure out what you are going to do and how you are going to approach every situation.

XT - I understand that development of the game is complete, and that you plan to spend the next several months optimising and addressing any issues to ensure a smooth launch. Are you at all able to share how much longevity the game is set to offer?

RL - Gamers can expect to get a good 50 hours in or more, depending on how you play the game. We've seen players play far more than that in the beta, so it's really up to the player. There's also a tad over 4 hours of cutscenes in the game, so expect to get deeply involved in the story.

XT - The events that unfold in Kingdom Come: Deliverance are said to be historically accurate aside from the personal story of protagonist, Henry. Does this level of historical accuracy extend beyond the story? Such as how we see NPC's living every day life, how they're treated by one another, and by the law?

RL - Well sure! We want to immerse everyone into a very realistic setting/experience in the land of Bohemia. We even have a full-time historian that works with us to ensure that nearly everything is time period accurate: the culture, clothing, armor, weapons, artwork, religion, the crime system and more.
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