Here is your chance to vote in our yearly Game of the Year Awards for the best RPG in 2018 and most anticipated game in 2019. You can vote for the best, runner up and third best (or most anticipated) game. In total our GOTY consists of making 6 choices. If you feel you do not have anything to select you can either select no game or enter a game (only for most anticipated), which is not on the list by selecting other. If you select the same game multiple times, your entire vote will be invalidated.

The lists are based on games that in one way or the other got covered at RPGWatch. The resulting list for the Game of the Year 2018 is derived from a much longer list, which has been reduced in length in cooperation with our forum members. You might feel that some games should not be on these lists for some reason. If you feel heart-broken over our decisions, don't vote for those games or don't vote at all and discuss it on our forums if you like. More information on how we got to this shorter list can be found here.

Note that voting is restricted to registered users only and those with at least 10 posts.

A new dev blog about Mount & Blade II: Bannerlords introduces the conversation camera.

Dev Blog 10/01/19

Greetings warriors of Calradia!
 
2019 is upon us, and we are back, as promised, with a Bannerlord blog to ring in the New Year. We want to ease back into them with a small update about a change we made quite recently to our conversation camera.
 
Those of you with a keen eye will have noticed that the conversation screenshot in our previous blog looked a little different to a standard Mount & Blade dialogue screen. And it wasn’t just the UI overhaul and new persuasion system that were on show, although admittedly, they are probably the things that caught your attention!

Immersion is something we have talked about multiple times throughout this blog series, so we won’t go on about it too much in this blog, however, it is safe to say that it was the main factor in our decision to make a change to the dialogue system camera. We want players to have a fluid and immersive experience with Bannerlord, which means that we look at all of our previous work with a critical eye to see where improvements can be made to match the high standards we have set ourselves for Bannerlord.
 
So what have we done to improve the camera? Well, this time around we have gone for something a little more subtle and understated. The new conversation UI is unobtrusive, and the camera gently shifts to focus on the NPC you are engaging in a dialogue with. The camera retains the viewing perspective you play the game from, so, if you enter a conversation in first-person, then your conversation camera is also in first-person, and likewise, if you initiate a conversation in third-person, your camera will remain in third-person. We use a depth of field effect to draw your attention to the focal point of the conversation (the NPC you are talking to) as an additional way of immersing you in the conversation and to prevent you from being too distracted by what is taking place in the background. These small changes combine together with the new conversational animations (which we discussed in a previous blog) to make a more immersive and fluid conversation system. 
 

 
Finally, we have added more characters to the conversation screens in instances where it would be appropriate (such as when being accosted by a group of bandits). It always seemed a little unnatural in our previous games to be speaking in a one-on-one conversation with a lord before a battle, or to a bandit leader looking to intimidate you into handing over your hard earned denars. In Bannerlord, you can expect to see leaders flanked by bodyguards, which we think helps to visually represent characters of their stature.
 

 
In next week’s blog, we will be talking to Gameplay Programmer, Bahar Şevket. If you have any questions you would like to ask her, please leave a reply in the comments section and we will pick one out for her to answer.

Join the conversation and comment on the forums! (96 comments)

Exiled Kingdoms received a minor update recently during which the developers next game was announced. Archaelund features real time exploration and turn-based strategy during combat.

Update 1.2.1118 released, and preliminary info about my next game.

15 January - DavidBVal

Today's update brings 100% complete Polish translation and other small improvements/fixes. You can check the full changelog[www.exiledkingdoms.com] of the game for details.

Since September I've been working full time on my next project. It's still too early for a full announcement, but there's a few things I can share about it already.

Archaelund

Prepare yourself to take control a full party of adventurers, and explore the broken lands of the vast continent of Andoria, home of the fallen Empire. The Exiled Kingdoms are claiming the shores of their mythical Homeland, but they'll find the region is not as deserted as they expected... you'll explore freely a huge world full with small details and hidden secrets, and will get inmersed in dozens of small stories and quests, and a main plot of epic proportions (no, really!).

Archaelund features a very unique combination of real-time exploration and careful turn-based strategy during combat; you'll explore the world in first-person perspective in a 3D world, much like in the Elder Scrolls games or in the classic Wizardry or Might&Magic games. But battles will happen in isometric perspective! When combat begins the camera floats up to offer a top-down view of the scene, so you can individually control your party members. The idea is to have the best of both worlds: an immersive exploration and tactical combat at the same time, allowing huge epic battles..

One of the main aspects of the game is the Geryon Rulesystem. I've been working on it for over a year already, specifically for Archaelund. I believe it offers many interesting ideas of my own, but at the same time it's deeply inspired by the versatility and flavor from my favorite tabletop RPGs from the 80s (WFRP, AD&D, Runequest, Rolemaster...) . Geryon will offer endless character development options; you can go for a straightforward approach... but it'll also allow crazy builds, even crazier multiclassing, and you'll never run out of things to try, if that's your thing.

Content is, as EK players probably guess, another essential pillar of the game. Expect the same open-world design, and the same weird combination of seriousness and silly humor and themes you "enjoyed" in EK; yeah, I am afraid the terrible jokes stay, and might get even worse.

Note: despite taking place in the Exiled Kingdoms setting, Archaelund is a completely standalone game. It's a far more ambitious project in scope, both in terms of design, graphics and depth.

There's little else I can disclose at the time since development is still at a very early stage. But I'll make a proper and detailed announcement in the next weeks/months.

A new expansion has been announced for The Elder Scrolls Online which is set in Elsweyr.

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In "The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr" the dragons return to Tamriel! "Elsweyr" is part of the "Season of the Dragon", an all-year ESO adventure. Explore sun-drenched savannahs and gorges, defend the Khajiite homeland, and command the merciless undead necromancer in the brand new chapter of the award-winning "Elder Scrolls Online" saga!

The Labyrinth game is coming to Steam on the 22nd of January. The game now comes with a good looking manual that can be picked up at the start of the game.

I could really use the support in getting the word out and trying to build up that wishlist for launch. So even just an email or tweet to your favorite youtuber / journalist / website would be a HUGE help. It's just me doing all that currently, and well, there are limits to how far I can reach -_-

Anyhow, besides all that, I've mostly been working on getting bug fixes and extra support for Labyrinth (trying to iron out some of the rough bits). I actually just uploaded a new build to itch this morning (the Linux version has had to take a back seat for a while).

For example I made an awesome manual you pick up at the start to help fill in the blanks.

I've also gotten back into the swing on Memories work (currently going through all the maps to process them with a visual upgrade pass).

The open world RPG My Time At Portia has been released:

My Time At Portia

Start a new life in the enchanting town of Portia! Restore your Pa's neglected workshop to its former glory, grow crops, raise animals, befriend the towns quirky inhabitants and uncover the mysteries this charming post-apocalyptic land has forgotten!

Armed with your Pa's workshop handbook and old workbench, you must gather, mine and craft your way to being crowned the number one workshop in the whole of Portia. Be prepared though…it won't be easy!

Inspired by the magic of Studio Ghibli, My Time at Portia whisks you away to a world of wonder that you won't forget. How will you spend your time at Portia?

The town of Portia is full of unique characters for you to get to know. They will go to school, do their jobs, workout, and have fun. They also have unique stories for the player to experience. The player will be able to get into relationships with other townsfolk; whether they are looking for friendships, romances or even marriage.

Each player is free to make their own mark on Portia and immerse themselves in a warm, welcoming little town full of experiences.

Key Features:

BUILD YOUR WORKSHOP: Build your Pa's derelict workshop into the best in Portia! Gather resources and craft your way into the hearts of the local community, as you work through daily commissions and villager requests.

RUN YOUR OWN FARM: Grow and nurture your own crops, as you convert the empty woodland surrounding your home into a quaint little farm! My Time at Portia offers an innovative approach to farming, allowing you to take advantage of planter boxes and semi-automatic irrigation systems.

GET CREATIVE: Make your house a home! Apply your personal touch with an exciting range of craftable furniture, decorations and room upgrades!

JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Become a part of Portia's extraordinary community! Filled with a vibrant cast of unforgettable faces all with exciting stories to share, energetic personalities and individual behaviors. Make sure you take the time to get to know them all - who knows, maybe romance could be in the air?

EXPLORE AND BATTLE: Delve deep into the ancient ruins and dungeons of Portia. Mine for resources and uncover what lurks beneath the seemingly peaceful land. It’s dangerous to go unprepared… Make sure you're equipped to face fearsome monsters and deadly bosses that stand between you and the secrets of Portia.

SKILL UP: Level up your character with a variety of skills to aid you in your adventures, in true RPG fashion!

AND THEN THE REST: Portia is an enriching and vivid experience, jam-packed with activities for your enjoyment! How will you spend your time? Fancy trying your hand at cooking? You could challenge your new friends to Rock-Paper-Scissors, or for the more daring how about a little bit of sparring? Take your pick! There's also tonnes of mini-games, animal riding, and festivals to enjoy. Or maybe you just want to kick-back and spend the afternoon fishing? Its up to you how you spend your time at Portia!

Retcon Raider looks at all the developments around Phoenix Point up until this point.

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My oh my, it's 2019 and that means we're just 6 months away from Phoenix Point's official release date.

Truly, these are interesting times! Today, I thought we'd take a quick look back at the tail-end of 2018 to see what we missed over the holidays.

At least, I assumed it would be quick - but it turns out we actually missed quite a bit! Serves me right for skipping the November update video...

Pre-orders are available for The CRPG Book with delivery in March.

About the book
Spread over more than 500 pages, CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games reviews over 400 seminal games from 1975 to 2015, covering the role-playing classics we all know and love such as Ultima, Wizardry, Fallout and Mass Effect – all brought to life with vibrant and engaging in-game images. Each entry also shares articles on the genre, mod suggestions and hints on how to run the games on modern hardware. The book is completely by written by fans, AAA developers, indies, journalists, modders and industry personalities such as Chris Avellone, Ian Frazier, Scorpia, Ferhegón, Richard Cobbett, Brian ‘Psychochild’ Green, Durante, George Weidman and Tim Cain, to name but a few.

CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games comes as a hardback as standard and uses thread sewn binding for extra durability. Each copy is then shrink wrapped. The cover features a specially created artwork by fantasy artist Jan Pospíšil.

In line with the project's non-profit nature, all of the author's profit will be donated to the Vocação charity in Brazil, where the books author, Felipe Pepe comes from. Vocação helps kids and teenagers from poor areas to get education and employment, who then go on to help others around them to do the same, changing the community for the better.

Book specifications
528 pages, 254mm x 203mm, Lithographic print, Hardback, Sewn binding, Gold foil blocked cover and spine, shrink wrapped.

Collector’s Edition
The Collector’s Edition of The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games will be exclusive to the pre-order period and limited to just 1,000 units. The book will come within a heavy-duty board slipcase with metallic gold branding and include an A2 rolled poster, A4 Dungeon Map Pad, branded pencil and a pack of 5 postcards.

[...]

@Twinfinite Some gameplay videos for Left Alive.

Today Square Enix released a couple of interesting gameplay videos of its upcoming survival shooter Left Alive. The two videos, launched on the game’s official Twitter account, star Director Toshifumi Nabeshima as he showcases different mechanics of the game.

[...]

第3回目の動画は「リモート爆発缶」編です。少ないリスクで敵を倒せる方法のひとつをご紹介します。次回は別のテーマになります。
ご質問は #LEFTALIVE鍋 または、動画ツイートにリプしていただければ、お答えできることがあるかもしれません。#LEFTALIVE #レフトアライヴ pic.twitter.com/qehVELZeFq

— LEFT ALIVE (@leftalive_jp) January 10, 2019

第2回目の動画は「アイテムクラフト」編です。坂本のおすすめクラフトアイテムをご紹介しています。
ゲームに対して質問等ありましたら、#LEFTALIVE鍋 または、動画ツイートにリプしていただければ、お答えできることがあるかもしれません。#LEFTALIVE #レフトアライヴ pic.twitter.com/cUD8lil9T6

— LEFT ALIVE (@leftalive_jp) January 8, 2019

Thanks Farflame!

The Xbox Hub looked at what Legacy of the First Blade Chapter 2 has to offer for Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.

Found that the addition of Legacy of the First Blade delivered plenty of reason to head back into Assassin’s Creed Odyssey? You’re in luck as the second chapter in the expansion is coming – and today we have full details and a release date.

Shadow Heritage is the second episode of the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey DLC: Legacy of the First Blade. Following on from December’s launch of the content expansion, we will be seeing this second chapter arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and PC come January 15th 2019.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

The combat in Mage's Initiation has been previewed by ExpansiveDLC.

Combat is also surprisingly versatile. Before you set out into the world, you’ll answer a series of questions from the high mages to determine your class. I ended up being a Water Mage, so used a jetstream as well as a sharp, ice-like projectile and protective shield. But you can also play as a Fire, Air, and Earth Mage, each with unique spells of their own.

On top of that, Mage’s Initiation has its own form of ‘socket system’. No, it’s not as involved as a World of Warcraft or Destiny, but it works well within the context of the game.

You have the option of embedding two different magical gemstones into a Conductor to enhance your stats in Constitution, Strength, Magic, and Intelligence. This gives you an added boost on top of the experience you earn from defeating enemies and levelling up.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Element Space has been reviewed by GamingRespawn and is due to release Q1 2019.

6/10

Overall, I would say that Element: Space has a lot of potential from what I’ve seen from Early Access. As a first game from Sixth Vowel, they’ve done a lot of things well. The graphics are good for a variety of different computers, and you can find yourself losing yourself in the game for hours. However, I do feel if you want to have a quick game, then I wouldn’t recommend this game as you can’t just drop and save if you need to leave the game for any reason.

Thanks Farflame!

Some gameplay video from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and also Game Informer explores how character progression works.

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Game Informer's Dan Tack and Suriel Vazquez share new gameplay and impressions for From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice based on the magazine's cover story trip. To learn even more exclusive details on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, check out our feature hub - https://www.gameinformer.com/sekiro

[...]

A major departure hardcore From fans may scoff at is the lack of corpse runs. Though you gain experience from defeating foes in Shadows Die Twice, that experience is now divorced from currency; gold now drops from enemies as well, and you won’t lose either when you die. If you’re afraid that change might upset the balance of tension and accomplishment that have come define From games, there’s hope: Director Hidetaka Miyazaki says death will have a detrimental effect, but wasn’t willing to tell us what that might be.

Instead, progression in Shadows Die Twice is slow but steady, as the experience points you gain from killing enemies fill a bar that eventually provides you with a skill point that, you guessed it, you can spend in a skill tree. But it wouldn’t be a From game if there wasn’t a catch: Before you can invest in a skill tree, you have to unlock it by finding a particular item as you explore the world.

Kenshi has been reviewed by NeverKnowsBest.

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A review of the open-ended sandbox survival game Kenshi. Getting beaten by starving mobs, sold into slavery and eaten by cannibals is a good thing! (and here's why).

We here at RPGWatch are amazed by the sheer number of rpgs that have been released the last few years. When I first visited RPGWatch in 2013, the Game of Year list was much smaller and I at least recognized most of the titles, even if I hadn't played them. Now the situation is so that even all together our staff does not have time to check out all of the games released, even the ones with positive or very positive feedback.

For this reason we have decided to try out an Indie Showcase. The purpose of the Indie Showcase is to give members of the community the chance to nominate an indie game which they like, but which has slipped (mostly) under our radar for our new Indie Showcase. We'd invite the developers to fill out a short interview, and send us some screenshots.

Here's how it will work:

Any forum member with 10 or more posts, who is not the game's developer can nominate a game for the Indie Showcase. When nominating a game, please tell us where you purchased it, and what you like about the game. We will decide which game to choose and whether to contact the developer based on the following criteria:

*The game must be finished and available for purchase. This is not a forum for games in development, crowdfunding games, or early access games.

*The game should be easy to find and purchase. Games on a major platform like Steam or Gog will be given preference.

*Games which have recieved customer feedback and positive customer feedback are preferable to games with mixed feedback, which are preferable to games which have yet to recieve any kind of feedback.

*Rpgs are preferrable to games with rpg elements, but are not classical rpgs.

If a game meets the criteria we will try to contact the developer. And send them an interview. The following is what we've come up with. If anyone has ideas how to improve it, feel free to send us ideas. The only thing is we want to keep the interview to a managable size.

Tell us a little about your background and experience?

How long did it take you to develop your game?

What games inspired your game?

What's the target audience for your game?

How would you describe your game to an interested player?

In a huge rpg market, why should players give your game a chance?

You're game has gotten some positive feedback. Is there any player comments you found especially noteworthy?

Do you have future plans to support your game? If not do you have plans for another project?

So if anyone is interested in nominating a game, the Indie Forum is now open!

Breach is set to enter Steam Early Access January 17th.

Breach Steam Early Access Begins January 17!

9 January - QC_OneLetter

QC Games, an independent game developer comprised of AAA veterans and cutting-edge creators, announced today that their premier action title, Breach, will be coming to Steam Early Access on January 17, 2019. Disrupting the traditional action-RPG genre by fusing explosive combat, RPG-like depth, and a flexible, customizable open-class system, Breach empowers players to build their ideal hero and battle monsters on an adventure that fuses modern and mythological Earth. In addition to building their own custom heroes, players can switch sides and play as the menacing Veil Demon, a malevolent spirit that wreaks delightful havoc on and brings doom to aspiring heroes. 

Special Breach pre-order packages are available starting at $24.99, but time is running out! In order to secure your pre-order package with bonus content that ends with Early Access, visit the Breach Shop by January 16 at 11:59 PM CDT[account.qcgamedev.com] to grab exclusive offers that include unique in-game items like sprays, dance emotes, a digital artbook, and much more.

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The latest update from Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem explains the Resource Opposition System.

New video: Resource Opposition System... And Happy New Year!

12 JANUARY - CALISTAEN

[DE translation][www.wolcen-game.de]

Hello everyone!

First of all, all the Wolcen team wishes you a very happy new year 2019! It's been a while since we didn't provide you with an update regarding our global progression, but we will, very soon :)

As you perhaps already know, following Technical Beta 1 and 2, we gathered a lot of useful information, mostly client and server crash reports that our teams are currently working on to solve as many issues as possible and improve the stability of the game when we make the Gameplay Beta transition.

Your contribution to these tests also allowed us to gather bug reports and feedback that we're taking into consideration. There are still critical issues we're working on fixing before making the transition, and some revamp that we want to finish as well in order to avoid an early character wipe.

We will provide you with more global advancement news next week, in the meantime, we hope that you will appreciate this new video about the Resource Opposition System in Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem.

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[...]

A new progress update for Stellar Tactics introduces some new spaceships.

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! I thought I would share a quick progress update. The last few weeks I've spent most of my time getting the first set of 10 new ship models in the game. I'll release these with the next patch.

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Meanwhile, the second set of ships model replacements are in development and I'll get those in the game when they are ready. A few screenshots below - work in progress.


And finally, I've been working on the cargo transfer feature. When this is finished, you will be able to purchase cargo storage space on trade stations. Once you own cargo storage, you will be able to move items from your ship cargo hold to storage, swap ships and move those items to your currently equipped starship from storage. I know a lot of you have wanted a way to store all that shiny legendary gear and move it to another ship. This is also a requirement for future work on trading and crafting so needs to be done now. As you can see, you will be able to sort both your current ships cargo and the contents of the station cargo storage.

Cargo storage is only for ship equipment, ore and commodities.

When buying new ships, the current cargo transfer feature will still work - so, you will need to make sure the contents of your current ship cargo bay will fit in the new ship you are purchasing.


That's all I have for now. I'll keep you all posted as I make progress. I'm hoping to get the updated ships, cargo transfer and a number of bug fixes out in patch next Friday. As always, thank you for supporting Stellar Tactics!

Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption has been updated with some quality of life features and a free bestiary download full of monster information.

New Build - "Patch 4" - is Live!

13 January - transolar

We've updated Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption with several "quality of life" improvements along with dozens of game tweaks (mostly audio, along with a "final" fix to the long-troublesome Katie quest chain) to reported issues. Steam will automatically give you the new update when you play the game.

The biggest changes are in the Settings page - now also available from the main menu. A much-requested feature is the ability to speed up character (including monsters and other non-player characters) in the game. If you like a faster pace, this feature is for you. Character animation might look a bit strange at higher speeds.

Also added to settings are options for switching between full screen and windowed mode and some other options for the adventurous.

"Done" items in the Journal To Do list now show the most recently completed ones on top so you don't have to page to the end to see your progress.

Deleting game saves now works better.

The Boss Wraith battle is now slightly more challenging with the Wraith's ability to summon monsters to help him. The well-prepared player will still get through it just fine, but it's no longer a pushover.

Speaking of bosses, we've decided to make the Rogue to Redemption Bestiary a free download! This is a beautiful art book PDF with all of the Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption monsters and a few strategy tips. For now, click on "View the quick reference" on our store page to download it. We will make it available as Free DLC soon.



Also coming soon to https://www.hero-u.com will be a free interactive Hint and Strategy Guide. We're making it a web page so that we can update it easily with new and improved hints.

Phantom Doctrine has been patched to version 1.0.9; adding more mission variety and an in-game encyclopedia.

Phantom Doctrine Patch 1.0.9 Goes Live!

10 January - CFG_Hitch

Phantom Doctrine Patch 1.0.9

Greetings, Agents!

This time we're back with some additional content to spice up tactical side missions and provide you with some more insight on various mechanics and features in Phantom Doctrine. Also, we fixed some of the issues kindly reported by you, for which we're very grateful. You may review all of the changes below. Thank you very much for your ongoing support and now we're getting back to work, as more is in store.

Improvements & added content

• New variations of side missions throughout the entire campaign. They were added to the random pool of the following mission types:
  • Ambush
  • Conspiracy Cell
  • Enemy Recon
  • Informer Assassination
• An in-game encyclopedia, full of information and hints regarding all aspects of gameplay in Phantom Doctrine. It’s available from the main menu as well as from the pause menu during strategic and tactical play

Bugfixes:

[...]

Lucky Day spotted the January Beamdog livestream:

Jan 11, 2019 Beamdog Livestream - Setting up for a new year!

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“I’d like to create a new game with a toolset like the NWN one, but I can’t promise anything!” ~ Trent

Today Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Marketing & PR Manager Lee Guille shared the latest studio news and updates on Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition and Infinity Engine games. They read a few winning stories from the Baldur’s Gate: 20-Year Anniversary Contest and showed a community portrait that will be added to the Beamdog Enhanced Edition Family of games for free later in 2019.

[...]

The 3.1.4 update for Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition is now available at Beamdog.com.

The Gurrn are an enemy class in Edge Of Eternity. This RPG is available as Early Access version since December:

Gurrn - Learn more about the lore!

Is that a rock? Is that a crystal? No, it’s a Gurrn! Protecting the magical gemstones, those sentient rocks are quite the mystery. But where do they come from? It’s time for a bit of lore!

Gurrn are enemies that can be found in the Old Mine, and in the ruins on the plains of Herelsor.

Gurrn are rocks that became alive thanks to an eternity of existence near crystals. The magic contained within those gems gave them life. In return, Gurrns possess a sense of belonging to crystals, that they consider akin to them. Gurrn carry a crystal on their back, and everything resembling a crystal is considered a part of the family, even if it’s not sentient. They will defend them with their life.

As a result, Gurrn will protect crystals as members of their clan. This often lead to attacks towards humans in the mines. In retaliation, human will try to drive them away. In small mines, a handful of villagers is no match to a Gurrn. In bigger exploitation, soldiers will manage to kick them out.

Nintendowire has reviewed the PC-remake of Tales of Vesperia:

Review: Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Video game re-releases are happening all the time these days, and while some bring back lost gems and others add new and exciting features, other times they right wrongs. Tales of Vesperia released back in 2008 exclusively for the XBox 360, serving as one of the most notable releases for the system in Japan, to the point of moving units singlehandedly. Shortly after in Japan, it was repackaged with new and expanded content on the PlayStation 3, and yet the West got nothing. Other than occasional whispers and rumors, Vesperia getting a second wind seemed to be a lost cause and fated to fade away into obscurity, save within its fanbase.

Yeah, not that one.

E3 last year finally brought the game back to the public eye, and best of all, we found out that content was added and the game would be a multiplatform release. Now here I am, a Tales of fan through and through, able to say that the wait (no matter how unnecessary) was worth it. If you’ve ever been curious about the series or wanted to capture some of that Symphonia magic again, Vesperia won’t disappoint.

    [...]

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition stands as a fitting celebration of this ten year-old gem of a game, bringing a fan favorite back with more content than ever. Thanks to the game’s stellar cast of playable characters and addicting, thoroughly enjoyable battle system, it stands as not just a fantastic example of its series, but of its genre. Anyone who enjoys JRPGs owes it to themselves to see what the big deal is about with this release, and as long as you can handle some outdated features and minor hardware limitations, you’ll be glad you joined this guild.

Score: 8.5/10

Positive:

• Revives a fan favorite entry in the series with new content and enhancements
• A likable cast of characters, all a joy to learn about and play as in their own ways
• Great take on one of the most enjoyable and active battle systems in all of JRPGs
• Blah, blah ,blah, Tidal Wave

Negative:

• Game shows its age at times, lacking some of the user-friendly advancements of later entries

My Time At Portia is soon to leave Early Access with a January 15th release date for Steam.

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My Time At Portia is a whimsical life-sim crafting RPG from China based indie developers Pathea Games. Start a new life and help rebuild the enchanting town of Portia from your newly inherited workshop. You’ll be able to craft and build, mine for materials and relics, farm crops and keep livestock, loot dungeons and fight monsters, and even go on dates, build relationships and get married!

If you’d like to know more about what you can get up to in My Time At Portia since it launched into early access, check out our ’10 things to do’ post, here or download the free demo on Steam today!

The full release of My Time At Portia will be available for PC on Steam and the Epic Games store, priced at £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99, and will contain brand new content!

The Digital Antiquarian looks back at dungeon crawlers with real-time grid-based movement:

Life on the Grid The Digital Antiquarian

[...]

But it’s another, almost equally interesting example of this process that’s the real subject of our interest today: the case of the real-time grid-based dungeon crawler. After the release of Sir-Tech’s turn-based dungeon crawl Wizardry in 1981, it wasn’t hard to imagine what the ideal next step would be: a smooth-scrolling first-person 3D environment running in real time. Yet that was a tall order indeed for the hardware of the time — even for the next generation of 16-bit hardware that began to arrive in the mid-1980s, as exemplified by the Atari ST and the Commodore Amiga. So, when a tiny developer known as FTL decided the time had come to advance the state of the art over Wizardry, they compromised by going to real time but holding onto a discrete grid of locations inside the dungeon of Dungeon Master.

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

THQ Nordic acquired the Outcast IP:

THQ Nordic acquires the Outcast IP

THQ Nordic today announced the acquisition of the intellectual property “Outcast” from the three original creators of the game.

Outcast is an action-adventure video game originally developed by Belgian developer Appeal and was first released by Infogrames for PC in 1999. Outcast has been critically acclaimed and named the "Adventure Game of the Year" by GameSpot in 1999. Since 2015, the original creators of the game have revived Appeal Studios, to work on remasters, remakes and new games based on the Outcast universe.

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