VideoGamesChronicles reports how the gender customisation options will work for Cyberpunk 2077.

Pears also revealed that one way the game is attempting to be inclusive for all players is by having NPCs refer to the player character, V, by name instead of gender.

He said: “We really want to make sure players get the representation that they want. In the genre of Cyberpunk as well, it asks such deep questions about what it means to be human, let alone what it means to define your gender.

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Player2 have previewed Conglomerate 451 and felt indifferent about it.

The tactical element of combat lies again in reading the statistics of your abilities and focusing on details; different combinations of abilities will yield the best results. For example, using abilities that stun enemies before using an attack that is more effective on stunned enemies. While that sounds exciting on paper, and it’s a concept I’m familiar with from many other RPGs, in Conglomerate it didn’t feel all that exciting in tandem with the lack of mobility. Options to auto-battle or speed up combat like those found in modern JRPGs would be welcome additions to blast through enemies quickly when you’d prefer to focus on exploration.

Once a mission is done, whether it be to clear out an area of enemies or interact with certain items to apparently poison someone, you’re then whisked back to the agency to do it all over again as a means to increase your agency’s reputation and reach within the city. When I say “apparently poison someone” I mean just that – I had no idea what I was doing until I reached the relevant room to interact with the relevant object. There wasn’t any narrative punch for me in doing something morally questionable; the cyberpunk grit felt more like a thin coat of paint than anything with weight.

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A gameplay video of The Waylanders and a preview by GamesRadar.

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“The Hercules Tower is the sacred place of Brigantia,” Pardo says. “It’s the centre of magic in the Celtic era.” According to legend, Pardo continues, standing at the top will allow you to see all the way to Ireland – although this is little more than a tall tale. “That tower is still there and still works as a lighthouse,” Pardo says. “It's 2,000 years old.”  All of a sudden, a portal is opened up between your screen and Celtic Galicia, as you begin to realize that elements of your world and its are inextricably intertwined.

So when you’re thrust into combat situations alongside your companions – of which there are 10 – the heat of the battle is cranked right up, as if you’re brandishing steel in the midst of a sweltering blaze. “In our game, there are six basic classes,” Pardo tells me: "warrior, guardian, explorer, rogue, sorcerer, and healer.” As with traditional RPGs, these six basic archetypes branch out into different styles as the game progresses, eventuating in 30 advanced builds that combine your original class with one of the other five remaining ones.

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The latest update announces that you can vote for a new class in Solasta: Crown of the Magister. You have a choice between Paladin and Ranger.

@PC Gamer David Gaider has set up a new studio in Australia called Summerfield Studios'. The studio will launch alongside a Kickstarter for an, as yet, unannounced new game.

The new studio will have its official launch at PAX Australia, alongside the launch of a Kickstarter to fund its first game. Details are pretty sparse on the ground at the moment, but Summerfall Studios' website promises "an illustrated character-driven adventure", before going on to say that "Summerfall Studios will crush your dreams and tear out your heart… in the very best way." Kotaku Australia broke the news, and you can stay in touch with future Summerfall news on the developer's Facebook page.

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Some gameplay video of The Outer Worlds from TGS.

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The RPG Codex has reviewed Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown:

RPG Codex Review: Legends of Amberland

Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown is a computer roleplaying game inspired primarily by Might & Magic. When making reference to that venerable series of open-world dungeon crawlers, one must draw a distinction between the earlier titles and the later ones. Midway through the franchise, beginning with Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven in 1998, the series reduced the number of characters in the party while introducing a hybrid real-time combat system alongside traditional turn-based combat. While retaining first person exploration, it switched to allow free movement in a fully realized 3D world (not including Might & Magic X: Legacy, which was more of an experimental throwback).

The original Might & Magic and its four sequels were step-based and played on a grid. Party sizes ranged from six to eight, including hirelings who could be recruited into the party and functioned like normal party members. Conforming to the oldest of old school principles, they initially had no automap, thereby necessitating orientation via hand drawn maps on graph paper. The first two games were considered to have the most hardcore combat of the series, with tactical back and front row formations and restricted saving. It was the Might & Magic III engine that first presented a more inviting approach, boasting bright friendly colors and even cartoonish imagery, producing a more comfortable experience for the player.

That is where The Forgotten Crown fits in, with its seven character party, 100% turn-based combat, and arrangement of tile-based outdoor maps and dungeons. It's a game very much in the style of Might & Magic III through V.

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Click4Gameplay reviewed Greefall after finishing the game:

GreedFall - Review After 40+ Hours

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My final thoughts about the game. 

The Indiegogo campaign for Unworthy Life has started and they are asking for $10K.

Unworthy Life is a story driven 3D action RPG with 15 – 20 hours of gameplay. The game is 80% complete and will release on PC and console in approximately 12 months time (September 2020).

Unworthy Life has many levels and environments which include two open world areas to explore. Players will engage in combat, hacking and physics puzzles as well as upgrading their robot with modular parts and learning or developing new abilities through a skills tree system.

It will be usually be possible to tackle the same situation in several different ways. Our protagonist robot Ul155e5 is a canvas that we hope you can use to play and navigate the story of Unworthy Life in your own preferred way.

We the team behind Unworthy Life have been working on this game for about four years. Our goal as a small team has always been to push the limits of what can be achieved by independent designers on a first game. We also wished to take our skills (mathematics, coding, physics, design) earned from a background in mechanical engineering and apply it to the development of an exciting and modern PC and console game inspired by the 80s science ficition films we grew up with as well as more recent Sci-fi/RPG games we came to love as adults.

We could given enough time probably finish the game and make Unworthy Life into something we really want to play and that we will personally love. However, this has never been about us. We want to make a game that many people will play and love. By backing this campaign you help us get some much needed hardware to smoothly finish the development of this game in 4K resolution, pay for bespoke professional music, allow us to pay talented voice actors and provide the first little bit of money towards the studio support we need to release this game for consoles.

Features:

• Over 15 hours of gameplay. 
• 15 levels including 2 open world levels.  
• Customisable modular robot protagonist.
• RPG elements including levelling, unique equipment, exploration, decision making, alternative paths. 
• Hacking minigames
• Physics puzzles.
• Secret locations. 
• Fully 3D gaming in 4K resolution

We received news about Space Wreck, a game set in space and that is inspired by the original Fallout games (Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas). The game is set in space 20 years post major conflict over asteroid mining. A passenger shuttle is damaged after pirate attack and you are chosen to to find replacement parts on nearby derelict space ship.

The game has the following features that in the opinion of the developer are important for an RPG:

• Role playing
• Multiple solutions
• Choice & Consequence
• Optional but unlimited violence
• Non-linear world

There is a Steam page and early access is scheduled for February 28, next year.

The turn-based strategy game Rebel Cops will be released today:

Rebel Cops

Rebel Cops is a spin-off game from This Is the Police, which exclusively features the series' turn-based tactical operations. Lead a rag-tag squad of cops in rebellion against their town's new criminal power, and see how long you can hold out when you're constantly short on supplies, and a single shot can cost a cop his life.

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You’re not exactly the police, but you're the only ones on the side of justice

Viktor Zuev, a sadistic crime boss new on the scene, has quickly taken the town of Ripton by the throat. The community's leaders and even the local police have surrendered to his will. A master of intimidation and blackmail, Zuev has seized every major business in town, all of which he now controls as his own private fiefdom. But an outlaw band of renegade cops refuse to bow. With little hope of success, they fight on -- for justice, and the soul of their town.

Gunfights are thrilling, but stealth is key

You're fighting a guerilla war, out-manned and out-gunned. Use concealment and cover, approach the enemy quietly, and take them down before they can raise the alarm. You have at your disposal an arsenal of non-lethal weapons and equipment, as well as special tactical perks, which you can unlock as you upgrade your rebels. True, sometimes violence seems inevitable, but when the time comes, don't hesitate: neither you nor the criminals have health bars. When someone is shot, they'll bleed out quickly, and getting a bullet in the head means instant death.

Explore, scavenge, and watch your back

Rebel Cops features not only compact operations where you need to fight for every inch of ground, but also large open locations to explore -- the sandbox levels. Search each room, crack open safes and vaults, try to get into inaccessible areas -- and grab everything that looks useful. Stay together and proceed with caution, or accept the risks, fan out, and try to explore every corner.

Take the high road, or the low road

Zuev's mercilessness is the key to his power. Can you defeat him without playing by his rules? Will you answer the needs of the desperate townspeople, even if it means putting the whole operation at risk? Will you spare civilian guards who are only doing their jobs? Some say that in war, you have to do whatever it takes to survive, but remember: reputation is more valuable than money. Bad blood on the street can easily put your good name in the mud. Merchants will refuse to do business with you, and even some of your own people might turn their backs on you.

@DSOGaming Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will release September 20th on Steam.

The first Ni no Kuni game finally comes to the PC and will release on September 20th. And today, Bandai Namco released the launch trailer for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered.

As the publisher has noted, this remaster retains the same dynamic fight system combining real-time action and turn-based tactical elements. Moreover, it features the dozens of locations and hundreds of creatures that comprise the vast universe of Ni no Kuni.

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An update for Divinity: Original Sin II tells the story of cross-save compatibility between Steam and Switch.

Science and magic hash it out in the second issue of the Larian Gazette. We’ve got headlines, if you’ve got time. 

First up, Divinity: Original Sin 2, our critically acclaimed RPG, is now released on Switch to another round of awards and praise. The reception has been very good with Gamespot hailing it as one of the best games on Switch with a 10/10 score, and USgamer is calling it “a masterpiece of role-playing, wherever you go.” 

Divinity: Original Sin 2 launched on the Nintendo Switch with the completely unique feature that allows players to share their Steam save files between PC and their Switch, seamlessly and as often as they like. 

The Gazette is pleased to report that it has obtained footage of what can only be referred to as a very daring and epic heist, one that saw the worlds of magic and science collide! That’s right, dear readers, Larian broke into Valve to make the unimaginable possible! 

Watch as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 Creative Director Swen Vinke stealthily (he thinks) infiltrates the home of Portal, Index, and of course, your entire collection of PC games. See things you weren’t supposed to see, and some things you wish you never had! 

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You heard it here first! Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition will be the first game featuring cross-save compatibility between Switch and Steam. That means you can store your saves on the Cloud when playing at home and continue your adventure on the road on Switch. As one source within Larian indicated, "It took some true heroes at Valve and Nintendo to make this happen. And let’s not forget our partner Blitworks who made work very hard to make this port possible. A hearty thanks to everyone!."

If you aren’t familiar with Divinity: Original Sin 2, it was Kickstarted in 2015 and thanks to the support of 45k backers, it began a fantastic journey across PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 before finally landing on the Switch in 2019 on September 4th.  (For the complete history of Divinity: Original Sin 2, go here)

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Gift Bag 2

In a show of embarrassing excess, Larian also released a brand new Gift Bag on all platforms, in celebration of the Switch release.

Gift Bag 2: Song of Nature contains six new additions to D:OS2 on all platforms that will help to enrich your adventures in Rivellon:

Crafter's Kit: Plenty of new recipes and unique items to craft! 

Endless Runner: Find a new icon in your Hotbar to toggle sprint on and off. Sprint increases the movement speed of your party.

Animal Empathy: Allows all player characters to talk to animals without having to spend a talent point. Changes Pet Pal talent to grant maximum positive attitude in all conversations with animals. 

Fort Joy Magic Mirror: Manifests a Magic Mirror in the Arena of Fort Joy, along with a new Character Creation level. This allows you to respec before moving on to the next act of the game.

8 Action Points: Increases the base maximum Action Points of hero characters to 8.

Herb Gardens: Plant your own herb garden! Take any herb and combine it with a bucket to create a seedling. Then place your seedling in the ground and watch it grow.

All Gift Bag content is automatically enabled, but to play with modifications you'll have to manually apply each one to your game. You can do this via the in-game Larian Modifications menu--find it when you start a game or load your save game. But be warned! If you choose to play with modifications, achievements will be turned off.

Divinity Dice Set

The Divinity: Original Sin 2 Dice Set proved to be a popular item at PAX West, selling out on the second day. Made with excellence by the Q-Workshop team, these dice are a distractingly attractive addition to tabletop games. Their worldwide release will be coming soon-- beware Larian's socials for this sin against tabletop austerity.

Larian Gazette

For more breaking news and behind the scenes stories about everything Larian, make sure you sign up for the Larian Gazette at baldursgate3.game.

A word from the Larian Team:

"You've helped us make two amazing games already, and your reactions and feedback as we post updates will be as valuable as ever. We will not be doing any more Kickstarter updates so signing up for the newsletter is the definitive way to stay posted."

Make sure to follow Larian on social media, and click Youtube’s notification bell, to make sure you never miss exclusive coverage of the excess of shenanigans to come.

Finally, please make sure you wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1086940/Baldurs_Gate_III/

 I got to play King’s Bounty II for an hour or so at Gamescom and I found it to be different from its predecesors, but not always for the better.

With some anticipation I was going to spent some hands-on time with King's Bounty II at the 1C booth and it turned out to be an experience that didn't completely match my anticipation, but it was well worth the hour I spent on the game. 
There is no escaping comparing King's Bounty II with its predecessor and from what I've learned while playing the game, King's Bounty II has several of the elements that its predecessor have, or at least the elements I've tried, but it changes the way how these elements come to you.

KnowTechie reports on Epic Tavern which they describe as a reverse RPG game. The game is currently available on Steam Early Access.

I found that I actually had surprising control over the characters that I ostensibly wasn’t in control of. The game sends you on a tutorial quest that is guaranteed to fail eventually, as it’s the story catalyst of why things in the world are as bad as they are when the game begins. You do control heroes in combat by telling them what kind of roll to make (e.x. Aggressive or Cautious, among several options).

From there it’s all about hedging probabilities. The best way that I can describe the level of control you have is one that goes well with the “sports management meets fantasy” pitch: You’re more of a coach on the sidelines making broad suggestions and less of a player making micro choices.

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@RockPaperShotgun A new expansion for Endless Space 2 has been released called Awakening.

Amplitude Studios may be working on a new Civ-ish 4X strategy game retelling human history, the recently-announced Humankind, but they’re not out of wild and fanciful sci-fi histories either. Today they released a new Endless Space 2 expansion adding an interesting new faction named the Nakalim. They’re a once-great empire who went dormant after their gods were killed and are now trying to secure their galactic position in anticipation of their gods returning. I do appreciate how Amplitude create factions who are more than your usual “they’re Klingons – but bugs!” or “they’re Borg – but less 90s!” Come meet the Nakalim.

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@DSOGaming A TGS trailer for Shenmue 3 which shows off the mood.

Deep Silver has released the Tokyo Game Show 2019 trailer for Shenmue 3. This trailer shows off the visuals and the animations from the game’s latest version. The trailer also showcases the game’s world, so we strongly suggest watching it if you are fans of the series.

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A new trailer for Rune II highlighting the players choice of Gods. The game will release November 12th.

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Pre-order RUNE II today! http://bit.ly/preorderRUNE

Which god will you choose to champion in Midgard to race against time and stop Loki? Will you choose to align with the mighty Thor and call forth the power of his lightning hammer? Or will you pledge your allegiance to the dark Hel to cast a wave of ice spikes to impale your foes? Perhaps summoning a swarm of ravens blessed by Odin to attack and antagonize enemies on the battlefield suits you best? Watch the trailer and decide which deity you will choose when RUNE II releases on November 12, 2019.

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@Wccftech A new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake from TGS.

A new Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer has been released today, showing more of the upcoming remake launching for PlayStation 4 in early March 2020.

The new trailer, which can be watched below, showcases some new story sequences featuring Aerith, the Turks, and President Shinra as well as more new gameplay, including mini-games.

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Iron Danger has been previewed by Wccftech who comment on the games time travel mechanic.

“A game without an end-state?” I hear you ask. I asked the same question and it doesn’t seem that there isn’t an end-state. This isn’t to say you won’t die. You’re going to die a lot. It’s more the fact that as soon as Kipuna or one of your characters dies, everything stops. I like to believe that Kipuna can’t fathom losing someone she values so highly, nor does she want to die herself, so stopping time and letting you go back is her defence mechanism.

It’s this mechanism that interests me so much about Iron Danger. Combat, in games, has always been a puzzle of sorts. Only now it’s more in line with that of a puzzle game than anything else of its kind. At any point, the games turns, dictated by a bar at the bottom of the screen, is measured by heartbeats and you can go back a maximum of ten heartbeats. Fortunately, you know exactly what’s going to happen and where the enemies are moving, letting you pre-empt them.

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IndianNoob has reviewed the action RPG Din's Legacy:

Din’s Legacy Review (PC) :: Pure Chaos

I’m glad we live in a time where there’s relatively no shortage of ARPGs. Dial the clock back 10 years and you had a lot fewer options. You’d be hard-pressed to find people talking about anything other than Diablo; maybe Sacred or Torchlight here and there. Nowadays, you have some really good alternatives such as Path of Exile, Grim Dawn and Torchlight 2 headlining the genre. One can also head over to steam to find a plethora of indie ventures guaranteeing ample amounts of hack, slash and loot. Din’s Legacy is one such indie ARPG that grabbed my attention last year while it was in early access. Fast forward to 2019 and I couldn’t pass up on the offer to review Din’s Legacy. With the prospect of acquiring loot, loot and more loot, I ventured into Din’s Legacy blind. Here’s me explaining if you should do the same.

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VERDICT

Din’s Legacy is a very unique, deep and unforgiving experience. It’s hard to find an ARPG that offers the level of nuanced gameplay Din’s Legacy does. That being said, it’s hard to recommend Din’s Legacy for the general ARPG playerbase. The level of randomness in the world and the clunkiness in the gameplay might be enough to turn players away from Din’s Legacy. It’s made with a particular niche in mind and thus can be hard to appreciate for people unfamiliar with Soldak games. But It’s never too late to join them, especially since there’s a free demo you can try to make up your mind (better than this review ever will). Everything said and done, I had a good time with Din’s Legacy. Then again, I’m a sucker for RPGs that are rough around the edges.

Score: 7/10

The RPG Crawler has reviewed Sin Slayers:

Indie Game Friday - Sin Slayers

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A dark fantasy RPG with Roguelike elements. Greater than the sum of its parts, but room for improvement.

Encased will be releasing onto Steam Early Access and a GOG release will also follow according to the latest update.

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Greetings, recruits!

The time has come. The Early Access version of Encased is almost ready, and the Dome will soon be open to everyone. On September 26th, you can begin exploring the enigma that is the Dome!

Those who pledged their support on Kickstarter, or otherwise pre-ordered the game, will receive their keys via email during the Early Access launch. Over the next few days we will send out a questionnaire where you may choose your platform, Steam or GOG.

Now we will answer the biggest question posed by community: "What can we expect in Early Access?"

•  Early Access will include a section of the game's main plot relating the events leading up to and during the Incident.
• After the prologue, you will have access to some parts of the open world, where you can explore and discover how life under the Dome changed after the disaster.
• Portions of the desert beneath the Dome will be obscured as anomalous zones, and temporarily inaccessible. But don't worry, regular content updates will gradually open up new sectors of the Dome for you to explore.
•  The open world has a life of its own. Traveling through the desert, you'll meet wandering traders, bandits, wild animals, the Forefathers' machines and anomaly mazes. Sometimes you’ll encounter unique events leading to a quest or acquainting you with one of the Dome’s factions.
• The Early Access release will include about 40 weapons. In addition, Encased lets players craft their own weapons, which can lead to more than 100 deadly devices in total!

You will also find new side quests, characters, secrets, locations, items, weapons and armor, new animations, improved sounds and music, item crafting, etc.

Right now and until the start of Early Access, we will continue to polish and improve the game. None of the feedback you sent escaped our notice. We've fixed tons of bugs, changed some small mechanics, and improved what you told us needing improving (but nothing too crazy, we can't add a Godzilla-sized Cheburashka or anything like that).

As a reminder, you can directly report any errors you find in the game by using the "Feedback" button in the interface. You can also message us in Discord .

The Dome awaits, your patience will soon be rewarded! Join your fellow Encased players on Steam or GOG!

Steam Store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/921800/
GOG Store page: https://www.gog.com/game/encased_a_scifi_postapocalyptic_rpg

Borderlands 3 has been released. The Windows release of Borderlands 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for six months.

Borderlands 3

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Borderlands 3 is a loot-driven first-person shooter. Players, either playing alone or in parties up to four people, make a character from one of four classes available, and take on various missions given out by non-playable characters (NPCs) and at bounty boards to gain experience, in-game monetary rewards, and reward items. Players can also gain these items by defeating enemies throughout the game.

As the player gains level, they gain skills points to allocate across a skill tree. The game introduces four new playable characters: Amara, a "Siren" who summons ethereal fists; Moze, a young "Gunner" who rides the mecha Iron Bear; Zane, an "Operative" with a variety of gadgets; and FL4K, a robot "Beastmaster" who summons creatures to aid in fights.

Unlike previous Borderlands games where each character had only one unique skill that operates on a cooldown, each character in the new game can unlock three unique skills, though only one (or in Zane's case, two) can be equipped at a time, greatly expanding the number of potential character builds a player can make.

Apparently the development cost for Children of Morta has been covered by the sales of the game. Next to that also a new video is made available showing 11 facts about the game.

Children of Morta, the highly-regarded action RPG following the harrowing journey of a family of heroes, launched on September 3rd and has covered its cost of development after only a few days on the bestseller lists of online game stores like Steam and GOG.com. Following years of hard work and dedication, developer Dead Mage and publisher 11 bit studios could not be more pleased with its success. Coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch this October 15th, both teams are looking forward to carrying this success onto consoles. The triumph of Children of Morta proves that strength and perseverance, much like the bonds of the Bergson family, are what it takes to overcome even the mightiest of obstacles.

Along with this news of their success, 11 bit studios have continued their tradition of the "11 facts about" videos by creating a brand-new gameplay trailer explaining every bit of the game under the unsurprising title "11 facts about Children of Morta!".

A new video showing, amongst others, Aughra and The Chamberlain has been made available for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics.

First Allies and Adversaries Revealed in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

En Masse Entertainment Shares In-Game Portrayal of Aughra, Deet, and the Chamberlain for Highly Anticipated Tactical RPG Based on the Netflix Series

SEATTLE – September 12, 2019 – En Masse Entertainment, a player-focused publisher dedicated to delivering great games and service, today released a new trailer highlighting the authentic translation of key characters in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, the multiplatform strategy RPG developed by BonusXP and in collaboration with Netflix. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics will launch in late 2019 for Nintendo Switch™, the PlayStation®4 entertainment system, Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, and PC/Mac.

The new trailer features a close look at how the team is faithfully recreating major characters including the Chamberlain, the calculating Skeksis, Aughra, the wise and ancient embodiment of Thra, and Deet, an unassuming caretaker of animals who is key to the Gelflings' hopes for rebellion, showing off each character in action. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance debuted on August 30, 2019 exclusively on Netflix.

About The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

The expanded world of Thra in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics contains diverse territories, each offering the ability to learn more about the Gelfling clans and their histories. In turn-based combat, players lead the Gelfling resistance by using guile, planning, and cunning. Units can be customized for specific fights with gear, upgradeable abilities, and an expansive job system. Dynamic events on the battlefield, which can create opportunities or put the Gelflings at a disadvantage, may necessitate rapid changes in strategy to keep players on their toes. Thus, battles are highly replayable, and after completing the game players can also challenge a New Game+ mode with more difficult versions of the battles.

Fans are finally be able to re-visit the fantasy world of Thra in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance following its worldwide debut on August 30, 2019. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics will arrive on game platforms later in 2019.

Published by En Masse Entertainment and developed by BonusXP, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics will release for Nintendo Switch™, PS4™ system, Xbox One, and PC/Mac. The title has not yet been rated by PEGI.

Space Game Junkie made a gameplay video about the open world shooter RPG Ashes of Oahu:

Ashes of Oahu - Open World Stream - Episode 1

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In an update for Colony Ship, user interface changes are discussed.

As you probably know, we're waiting for the missing animations (the once long list has been reduced to two-handed weapons and grenades), portraits (8 NPC portraits to go), and armor (all vests, boots and leggings, helmets, goggles, and gas masks are done; waiting for the jackets and coats, which will be done after all animations are in). While we're waiting, we made some changes and improvements.

• removed all caps from the textbox, added a corresponding skill and level to the weapon slots, the character level, plus replaced words like DMG and AMMO with icons to reduce clutter, added a reaction chance, resized the overhead portraits.
• replaced the disco floor with the movement range but if you prefer the grid you can bring it back via Options.
• still working on the firing range as we need to show both the effective and maximum ranges
• added proper cursors for all occasions (pointer, examine, target, interact, open, climb, etc)
• replaced the old targeting info with a new one (blue - critical, green - hit, yellow - graze, red - miss; pressing ALT gives you a full breakdown of each value)
• replaced the old overhead icons with new ones (the eye shows the effect of your cover,  its effect on the enemy's THC; the shield shows the enemy's cover, its effect on your THC)

Thanks Pladio.

@PC Gamer Pine is a open world adventure where animals have goals and lives.

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As of today it's available in a limited beta via Kartridge, which is webgame portal/moblie publisher Kongregate's storefront. For $20 you get into the beta and also get the full game when it comes out, at which point it will cost $25 and also be available on Steam.

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A new update for Copper Dreams talks about the Beta coming this September as well as what to expect.

Alpha-End improvements

We're eager to show all this off in a video update but want to fine tune some combat visuals first, and figure we'd do it all at once for you guys.

Optimization improvements have been a focus. The game now cleanly runs on this junker laptop we got that I think they forgot to put a video card in. Hannah took a chunk of the summer up with revising a lot of the older code we’ve been slowly duct-tapping iterations on for a while now for characters, combat and other heavy systems and we’re very satisfied with results. We can get loads of enemies on screen at once without taking a hit, so we've designed some enemies to be weaker so we can instead swarm them as needed.

You know what's not fun? Camera management and seeing how world structures are pieces together. Hannah solved these age-old problems by creating a terrific updated line of sight projection that allows you to see your characters line of sight at any given time, without any 3d-object collapsing (like a roof) or dissolve holes or something. It's uses the character line of sight to clip and dither away geometry that the player can't see, so it's seamless with those visuals. It’s real slick, we love it, and now we don't have to worry as much as how overlapping world meshes work. To flex we've also lowered the tilt of the camera.

Characters now have swappable armor pieces to protect individual body parts — head, torso, and individually for arms and legs. Since your character is equipping new armor pieces frequently, as they get shot up and destroyed, we thought it would be worthwhile to show those visual updates on your character. There's a lot of variety there.

Tiles with effects on them have a new generation method where we can fill the screen with them without any cost, we're still tweaking the visuals for them, but you get the idea.

Tile light data is visualized by how dense the hatchlines are, a neat setup we came up with for both dynamic and baked lighting values.

Effect Tiles for the beta include:

Fire

• burn damage

Smoke

• visual modifier
• coughing ailment

Ooze

• roll to not slide while moving
• noise when moving through

Water

• slipping ailment
• noise when moving through
• single tiles that continue to drip for 10 steps and can be tracked by NPCs

Blood

• slipping ailment
• noise when moving through
• single tiles that continue to drip for 10 steps and can be tracked by NPCs

Grass

• burnable with fire tile
• cover for hiding

Electricity

• stun — immobilized temporarily

[...]

The RPG Crawler checked out Solasta: Crown of the Magister. There are 21 days left until the end of the Kickstarter campaign.

RPG Crawler's First Look - Solasta: Crown of the Magister

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This looks like it'll be a better D&D game than the official ones.

Venturebeat has reviewed the upcoming Borderlands 3:

Borderlands 3 review — Fun action, but some yucks are too yucky

Borderlands came out 10 years ago, and in some ways, it helped spur a new genre of shooters. Gearbox Software combined the fast action of a Doom or a Duke Nukem with the loot and role-playing game progression of Diablo, and we can trace the roots of Destiny, The Division 2, and Warframe to Borderlands.

And while I see the appeal of these MMO looter-shooters, I prefer playing by myself, in a world full of quests with a more cohesive narrative and a slower pace. Borderlands 3 delivers this, improving its RPG progression and gunplay along the way to its September 13 release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. And considering that the Borderlands series sold 5 million copies between publisher Take Two Interactive’s May and August earnings periods (and sold 41 million copies overall), a demand exists for this take on shooters.

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Conclusion

Above: Blowing up this brainy badguy with a mech is a blast.
Image Credit: GamesBeat

When I started Borderlands 3, I expected to find some nice advancements on previous games. Gearbox has been making this series for years now, and it’s nailed the formula while advancing it with each new release, creating deeper, more interconnected systems and progression.

But since Borderlands hit the scene in 2009, we’ve had a new genre of online shooters that ape the loot-collecting of Gearbox’s franchise and older games like Diablo. And many of them do this well. Borderlands 3 reminds us that the market still exists for slower-paced single-player games with lots of loot and a variety of combat styles. Gearbox nails this.

I just wish the studio had advanced its humor and encounter design as much as class progression and weapon variety. If you enjoy lootin’-and-shootin’, check out Borderlands 3. But go in knowing that you’re going to cringe at some of the jokes and feel fatigue every now and then.

Claptrap’s ass can only plug so many holes, after all.

Score: 77/100

sHuRuLuNi looks back at Gothic 3:

Gothic 3 - Uneducated Review - 13 years later

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A review of an RPG Legend, which was shunned at release, but with the help of the community turned into a jewel. Check my Uneducated Review of this Retro Masterpiece!

IGN reports on a new gameplay trailer for System Shock 3 that shows Shodans return.

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Take a look at the brand-new gameplay trailer in the video above, and have a look at three new screenshots below. System Shock 3 is a first-person action game in which you are free to play and explore how you want. You can be a hacker, a stealth specialist, a melee master, etc. as you uncover the mysteries of the space ship that's been taken over by the evil AI, SHODAN.

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Some reviews for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.

MMORPG - 8/10

It also felt like FFVIII is much easier than I remember it. I was pretty new to RPGs when I originally played it and now, thanks in large part to FFVIII, RPGs are my bread and butter. Perhaps this increased general knowledge has lessened the difficulty curve here. Plus, I spent a lot of time with FFVIII and unlocked a lot of its secrets; as a result there’s no learning curve for me here. Fights which I recall being terrible seem much simpler now. The characters also seemed to level up far faster than I thought they had before, but I could just be misremembering. Squall was level 30 by the time got to Disk 3, and I did almost no extra exploring or random encounters. That feels a bit off to me, because when I originally played I did all of the side stuff before finishing disk 2 and I feel like I only had Squall at barely level 25.
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Final Fantasy 8 Remastered keeps everything that made the original a classic, including its polarizing leveling system, the Triple Triad card game, and the ugly backgrounds. The game's ugly graphics outside of the character models makes it feel like a half measure at times, but regardless, Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is still the best way to experience the game today. Oh, and the soundtrack is still fantastic, too.

Despite my qualms with Final Fantasy VIII, it has admittedly aged very well. It is still a unique JRPG experience even in 2019. It has a cool love story, an amazing soundtrack, and a gorgeous visual design. While this is the best way to play the game, the remaster isn’t on the same level as the ones FFVII and IX received. That’s sad since this is arguably the best looking of the PS1-era FF titles.

Edge of Eternity has been previewed by Wccftech. There are also screenshots of Chapter 4 on Steam.

Battles are turn-based, with your usual variety of melee attacks, abilities, and spells, but also had a dynamic which asked you to think about your positioning. You can change the place your characters are in on the battlefield into one of six neighboring positions, to avoid getting flanked on both sides, or to move closer to an enemy so a melee attack will actually work. While it wasn’t necessary to think too much about it in the demo, its uses in more difficult battles are obvious, and adds a new mechanic to the JRPG formula, instead of just innovating on tropes.

Later in the demo I trudged through caves and defeated dozens of monsters, before finally meeting a final boss and, sadly, not being able to overcome them. It just so happened that a PR rep was telling me I was running out of time anyway, but that didn’t help how salty I felt putting that controller down in defeat.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!