Couchpotato's Random RPG News

Originally Posted by Philistine
Lord I hope this isn't a looter shooter, but coming from The Division guys that's probably what it is.

Yeah, I'm not going to get too excited about that one. I'm sure it's going to be pretty, but I don't have faith in Ubisoft doing a proper Star Wars game.

I'm much more interested in the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order from Respawn Entertainment.

Ray Muzyka Interview - Ivey Business Review

IBR: You and your co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk originally worked as emergency room physicians in Alberta. What motivated you to start BioWare while still practicing medicine?

Before BioWare, Greg and I had actually dabbled in entrepreneurship with medical education software. We made a gastroenterology patient simulator, which ended up being distributed by Janssen-Ortho to all the family doctors across Canada. Even before that, we had also developed an acid-base physiology simulator, which we sold to the University of Alberta—it was used by the first-year med students for a decade. One day at lunch, Greg and I realized that while the potential customers we were speaking to seemed to want medical software, no one seemed to have enough money to pay for it. We liked software, we liked business, but medical education software seemed like a challenging market. So instead, we decided—literally decided over the course of a lunch meeting—to make the leap to take all of our personal savings, max out our lines of credit with our banks to get some startup capital, and hire some folks to start making video games. We both had played a lot of video games; they were our passion growing up. Even after founding BioWare, I continued in rural locum tenens ER and family medicine for the better part of a decade—partly because I liked medicine, and partly because we didn’t take a salary for the first five years at BioWare so I needed the money to pay my mortgage payment for my condo and the minimum payments on my credit cards and lines of credit!

Possible Remaster of Diablo II - GamesIndustry.biz

Activision Blizzard has moved its Vicarious Visions studio from the Activision side of the business to the Blizzard side.

The publisher today told GamesIndustry.biz that effective today, it is merging Vicarious Visions into Blizzard Entertainment.

Going forward, the Vicarious Visions team of about 200 people will be employees of Blizzard and "fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives," which means the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 studio will no longer be creating games as the lead developer.

"After collaborating with Vicarious Visions for some time and developing a great relationship, Blizzard realized there was an opportunity for [Vicarious Visions] to provide long-term support," a representative explained to us. They declined to specify what the team has been working on with Blizzard, or for how long.

Ni-Oh 2: Complete Edition Preview Roundup

PC Gamer

I was so engrossed in Nioh 2's character creator that I was tempted to stay in it, tinkering endlessly, and never actually play the game that comes after it. It's a great character creator: Every time I hit the randomize button I saw a new face that I liked, or that at least made me laugh. After almost an hour, though, I pried myself away from the character creator to get to the combat at the heart of Nioh 2 and test out how it runs on PC. For the most part, it's good, with some surprising PC-exclusive features. But there are also some surprising problems that I hope Koei Tecmo fixes before release.

WCCFTech

Nioh 2 - The Complete Edition features everything fans of the original have loved about the game: great level design, the loot system featuring tons of gear to collect and customize, new abilities to play with, and many angry Yokai who cannot wait to get their filthy hands on the player. You will die a lot, but the refinement of the mechanics seen in the first game will make sure, more than ever, that you will love each and every second of this new adventure set in Feudal Japan. How the PC version will stack with the PlayStation 5 release remains to be seen, but if you only own a PC and never hard the chance to try the PlayStation 4 release, there's a very good chance you will not be disappointed.

PC Invasion

Fans will be happy to know that this is a very good port. Nioh 2 isn’t exactly a good-looking game, but hey. It works well, and only crashed on me a couple of times in my first eight hours. The only issue I’ve had is that my mouse cursor is visible onscreen all the time. It’s been centered over my character the entire time that I’ve been playing, and I can’t seem to make it go away. I hope Team Ninja fixes that. I can’t recall the last time I’ve had this problem with a game. Also, the install is 76 GBs. Even though it kind of looks like a PS3 game. RIP my SSD space.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Ray Muzyka Interview - Ivey Business Review

I'm still wondering how Bioware really started, it's always surprising to see the differences when it's told by Ray Muzyka or Greg Zeschuk, the doctors who claim they both founded Bioware, or by Trent Ostner who claims they were six to found Bioware and that Ray & Greg were brought in the team by Marcel Zeschuk - Greg's cousin.

Depending on who's telling the story, either the doctors made the first demo, or the Ostner brothers did. And either Bioware hired Pyrotek's people, or they moved to Pyrotek after Bioware was founded and Marcel was fired by Greg, only to come back later.

It's only marginally interesting, those are typical company's debut hiccups, but someone isn't entirely honest, there.

I don't care how it started or who is telling the truth. People are going to remember from their own perspective. For a few glorious years, they released some fantastic crpg's. I enjoyed that article.

The same happened in D&D. Do you take Gygax's side or Arneson.

Sure, the secret to happiness is not asking too many questions. I'm glad you enjoyed what the guy said without wondering what was true in it.

Tourist Difficulty Mode for Wasteland 3 - Twitter

At inXile, we know flavor. When you bite into a searing hot Ranger Star you know we mean quality—and choice. Which is why with patch 1.3.0, Tourist difficulty gives you the power to blast through all that combat and get right to the meat of the story. Coming soon.

Geneforge 1 Releasing in February - Twitter

We are about a month of releasing Geneforge 1 - Mutagen for Win and Mac! Exact release date coming soon. We will also be a part of the Steam Game Festival. While we're getting ready to ship, we have a bunch of new screenshots!

5 Developers for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3 - GameRant

Rumors about Knights of the Old Republic 3 are generally untrustworthy, having popped up multiple times over the past several years. The latest claim that it is in development seemingly has legs, however, as it is corroborated by many now-known facts and insiders. These have said very little about what Knights of the Old Republic 3 is and more, but it has been implied that the developer of the game is not an EA studio. While it is disappointing to learn that this rules out BioWare, it makes a lot of sense in recent context.

Dragon Age 4's Main Location Confirmed - IGN

BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development was recently released and in it, it's revealed that the forthcoming Dragon Age game will be set in the land of Tevinter, as originally reported by Eurogamer. Tevinter, while existing in the lore, is a place that hasn't been visited in the Dragon Age games before, making it a first for the series.

Update On Starfield, Bethesda's Long-Awaited RPG - TheGamer

Howard added that the game is currently in a playable mode at the studio, stating, “We’ve been talking about it for a decade, we started putting things on paper five, six years ago, and active development was from when we finished Fallout 4, so two and a half, three years.”�

Originally Posted by Redglyph
Sure, the secret to happiness is not asking too many questions. I'm glad you enjoyed what the guy said without wondering what was true in it.

I guess I'm more curious about big societal issues and more important questions. The origin of Bioware doesn't interest me that much. Having two doctors start a computer gaming company is more interesting.

People enjoy a good story more than the truth so the doctors will always win.

Originally Posted by Hastar
I guess I'm more curious about big societal issues and more important questions. The origin of Bioware doesn't interest me that much. Having two doctors start a computer gaming company is more interesting.

People enjoy a good story more than the truth so the doctors will always win.

I don't think anyone really wins, they each have their own version and I wouldn't take any for granted. In a era where the information flows more freely, we have learned to be more critical and I doubt people just enjoy a good story, this is so 50 years ago

Anyway, if I am curious about how it really started, it is not for the sake of truth, but mainly because I find it interesting to know how the early sparks came to be, and made what Bioware has become soon after.

Matt Chat 462: Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

This episode covers one of the greatest Wizardry games, and therefore one of the greatest CRPG games, of all time: Bane of the Cosmic Forge by D.W. Bradley. It's an amazing experiment that updated the Wizardry formula with plenty of fresh ideas and insights. Combine it with a helpful automapping add-on, and you've got a game that is incredibly fun and addictive all these years later. Let the rat-slaying commence!

Drox Operative 2 - Early Access Month 7 Update

Drox Operative 2 has now been in early access for over 7 months and is currently available on Steam and GOG. As of this post, we've released 32 patches (6 since the last post) with 1,251 total changes (318 since the last post), which can be read here. This consists of a ton of small fixes and balance changes, but there have been a bunch of larger changes.

Mass Effect Andromeda isn't as bad as its reputation suggests - RPGSite

With the news that a new Mass Effect and a Trilogy remaster are on the way, BioWare’s science fiction RPG series has been on my mind a lot. So I did what anyone would do; I returned to what is generally regarded as ‘the worst one’. But you know what? Mass Effect Andromeda isn’t nearly as bad as its online reputation suggests.

When you think about the task that was laid out before Andromeda, one must feel sympathy for the development team behind it. This was after all a generally new team given a towering task: to follow up on a hit trilogy, while leaving behind one of the most beloved aspects of those prior three games: their charismatic cast of characters. That switch away from the known was practically required thanks to the ending of Mass Effect 3, a finale that any sequel would need to be distanced from for both narrative and real-world reasons.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Isn't it funny how we could reverse roles here and the exact same would still apply?

Yeah, I guess? Thing is, I didn't say your opinion on 2077 was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard so to reverse the roles would have to include imagining I said things I didn't.

Originally Posted by JDR13
It's been out almost 2 months now, and it's not that long of a game. I'd say most of those people probably stopped playing simply because they've finished.

If the game was that bad it would be reflected in the user-reviews. Guess what… they're mostly positive, and that's even despite the game being heavily trolled.

Yeah, but it could have been a long game. Like, you can say stuff like GTAV has been in the top 10 most played for 8 years because of the online aspect. But whose fault is it that the online mode for 2077 wasn't included? It had to be put off so they could focus on singleplayer? So, you'd expect singleplayer to be way more polished. Then if you try to imagine the multiplayer mode it's so far behind GTAV, anyway. The SP content doesn't have enough to kill to support 4 players. Can't just up the HP even more. So, what, deathmatch and car races and free roam where you can fight those rubbish cop spawns that magically popin anywhere? Why even bother? Again, you could just play Counter-strike and Need for Speed. No, that's still not a dumb thing to say. It's literally the better option to play 2 established, specialised titles in place of a mediocre one that does both.

It's sort of hopeless. It's like how if anyone releases an MMO it's still 17 years of content updates behind WoW. People will just check out the new game, finish it in a weekend then go back to their old, more established game.

I'm glad many enjoyed their weekend in singleplayer 2077. But the game's so far from being the next WoW. Something that you can get lost in for months, years.

2077 just didn't raise the bar, at all. Looked like it would, but it didn't set new standards in what's possible in a game. No ones gonna steal the exciting and innovative new ideas because there are none.

Originally Posted by SirJames
Yeah, I guess? Thing is, I didn't say your opinion on 2077 was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard so to reverse the roles would have to include imagining I said things I didn't.

Did I say dumbest ever? I honestly don't remember at this point. Your rationalization was indeed pretty dumb though.

Originally Posted by SirJames
It's literally the better option to play 2 established, specialised titles in place of a mediocre one that does both.

Can you name 2 established, specialised titles out there in that genre? See, the problem with what you're saying is that a great many people are interested in CP 2077 specifically because of the setting. Sure, there are games that do driving better and games that do shooting better, etc, etc, but are they cyberpunk?

Originally Posted by SirJames
I'm glad many enjoyed their weekend in singleplayer 2077. But the game's so far from being the next WoW. Something that you can get lost in for months, years.

Well no shit. I'm pretty sure the single-player of *any* game isn't going to compete with WoW in that way. Any more brilliant insights like that?

Originally Posted by SirJames
2077 just didn't raise the bar, at all. Looked like it would, but it didn't set new standards in what's possible in a game. No ones gonna steal the exciting and innovative new ideas because there are none.

A game doesn't have to be innovative to be good or successful. Very few games innovate these days because there isn't much that hasn't already been done at this point.

I don't recall any claims by CDPR that CP 2077 would be the "best ever" in any one category. It was gamers who allowed their expectations to reach unrealistic levels.

The Way of Wrath - Pre-Kickstarter Update

More than three years ago there was an epic rain in the city of Tbilisi in Georgia. The roads had turned to small rivers and unable to get home from a work-related meeting I took shelter in my friend's tiny basement room that his indie music band rented for practice. We decided to wait out the rain there.

Geneforge 1: Mutagen - Update #13

This should be the last update for Geneforge 1 - Mutagen!

The next time you hear from us, Geneforge 1 - Mutagen should be out for Windows and Mac, with the iPad version coming soon after. We plan to ship in late February, though the exact date might slip by a day or two in either direction. We'll try to give an exact date in the next 2-3 weeks.

Lately, we started setting up the game on online stores (which is quite a bit of work) and doing the last bits of balancing in beta testing. We’re looking for specific encounters that are too hard or creation abilities that are too strong or weak. Geneforge has many endings that need to be tested, and we need to make sure there aren’t mistakes. The game is meant to be winnable without ever attacking a foe, and we have been tweaking a lot of key areas to make sure it’s not unfairly difficult.

Vagrus The Riven Realms - A New Build is OUT

Hey Folks, this patch is a beast in all sense. So many new features and changes have been added that if you ever considered starting a new play-through, this might be the perfect time for it. A shedload of tweaks has been applied to make the early game a little more forgiving (without making the late game easier), and we look forward to your feedback on the direction of these changes.

Legends of Ellaria - Chapter 0 is here -- and comes with a discount!

Greetings, Ellarians! We've got some news to share with you today. As you know, in the last months we've been working on the final details of the game, implementing some advanced features like quests, dungeons, etc. Everything is falling into place, and we're quite happy to let you know that Legends of Ellaria will transition from early access to full release in March. Depending on how the final tests go, that could be early or late March, mind you – stay tuned for more info, in the coming weeks we'll be able to pinpoint it to a more concrete date!

Originally Posted by JDR13
a great many people are interested in CP 2077 specifically because of the setting

Yeah, It's all about the setting. I pretty much play anything that remotely resembles Bladerunner. Maybe it's time for a new Syndicate game!?

Originally Posted by JDR13
It was gamers who allowed their expectations to reach unrealistic levels.

But the trailers and previews were so good!

Mass Effect 4 Needs to Feel Post-Apocalyptic - GameRant

Mass Effect 4 takes place after a massive, galaxy-wide war, and its tone should feel very different to the original trilogy. The next game in the Mass Effect franchise should take advantage of its almost post-apocalyptic setting to explore some brand new factions and forces emerging in the new galaxy.

Mass Effect 4 Probably Shouldn't Bring Shepard Back - GameRant

Of course, with the idea that the series will be returning to the Milky Way, many players are excited for the next Mass Effect to involve Commander Shepard in some way. However, whether this return of the old protagonist is as a playable character or a cameo like Hawke from Dragon Age: Inquisition, it might not actually be what's best for the series as a whole.

Mass Effect 4 Could Tie the Trilogy and Andromeda Together - GameRant

The Mass Effect 4 teaser trailer, debuted at the 2020 Game Awards, definitely left more questions than answers for players. No one knows what galaxy Mass Effect 4 will be set in, who exactly the protagonist will be, or even an official name for the in-development title. However, the video teased the return of beloved asari Liara T’Soni, which could have big implications for the storyline of the upcoming game. It also showed two different galaxies, meaning Mass Effect 4 could see the merging of both the original Mass Effect trilogy and Mass Effect: Andromeda, ultimately meaning that Liara and Pathfinder Ryder may be teaming up in the next game.

Elden Ring Allegedly Coming Sooner Rather Than Later? - Screenrant

An exciting recent post from an industry veteran suggests that a major Elden Ring update may be on the way in the next couple of months..

Diablo 2 Remastered and Resurrected: Rumors and Info - TechRadar

Diablo 2 Remake: cut to the chase

• What is it? A potential (and very likely) remake of the most influential action RPG ever
• What can I play it on? If it happens a PC version is a certainty, with console versions likely, too.
• When can I play it? No word yet, Blizzard's development timetable has room for it sooner than later, ahead of the franchise's fourth proper entry

Dishonored 2 Is the Perfect Sequel - Escapist Magazine

In every way that matters, Dishonored 2 is a magnificent step up. It accomplishes everything its predecessor did and more while staying true to itself. We don’t get games like this often; even Arkane’s struggled to capture the same magic in the years since, so it was a privilege experiencing its masterpiece again after all this time. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor, and pick this one up. Whether you play through a dozen times or only once, it’s one of the best games of its console generation.

Rumor: Microsoft Making Another Bethesda-Level Acquisition This Year - Gamerant

From the sounds of recent rumors, Microsoft isn't satisfied with having just Bethesda. Apparently, the corporation is looking to add more big-name video game developers to its roster. Exactly what companies Microsoft could be interested in remains a mystery, and there's nothing in recent grapevines suggesting developers are looking to sell. Even if there was, they would be rumors like this one, and would also need to be taken with a grain of salt.

King's Bounty II Developer Q&A

Dev team answers some of the community’s questions in this fifth episode!

Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness - Quick Update

First and foremost, thank you for your continuous feedback on the Backer Beta. Thanks to your bug reports and suggestions, we have managed to fix many unknown and subtle bugs and improve the overall experience of playing Black Geyser.

Our studio had several talks lately, both as a team and with our partners and investors. We came to realize that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness has become a bigger project than we ever imagined. Which is a great thing. On the other hand, huge projects require tons of refinements, polishing and Quality Assurance. Black Geyser is no exception. Taking this into account, we have concluded that Black Geyser will be released in early 2021.

Thank you for your comment! The development is stable (most chapters of the game are completely finished and polished). We will soon start posting more regular updates.

Medieval Dynasty - Update v0.3.1.0 available on the test branch

Hello everyone!

We have a new update for the test branch and here are the changes, additions and updates for yours to review and test!

This is important: The text system for this version is under revision which results in a loss of translations, this version is a mix of English and your selected language.

GRAVEN - Demo will be available during the Steam Game Festival

The next Steam Game Festival is around the corner! We are happy to announce that the GRAVEN demo will be once again be available during this time. From February 3rd to February 9th you will have the opportunity to once again step into the shoes of the priest and experience the world of GRAVEN first hand!

The Way of Wrath Kickstarter Campaign Live - Kickstarter

The Way of Wrath is a story-driven, open-world, tactical RPG set in a pre-historic shamanistic world. Inspired by Baldur's Gate, Gothic, & The Legend of Zelda.

StarCrawlers: Chimera Archetype Updates - Muscle, Guile, & Intellect

Feature Friday again with more upcoming abilities in StarCrawlers Chimera!

Tainted Grail: Conquest Visual Upgrades - Early Access

We've implemented a lot of visual upgrades (most importantly: a new lightning system) so the game is prettier than ever. We've also made a lot of improvements in terms of the game's optimization.

Gamedec - January 2021 Update

It's been a while since we shared some work-in-progress insights about the game. We're sure that many of you are pretty curious about how the game development process is going and what are our current struggles on the road to the release. Especially after we shared information about delaying the game (back in October) or asked our Kickstarter backers to prepare their input that will appear in the game.

Hades Greg Kasavin Interview - Gamasutra

We spoke with Kasavin at length about his journey from a top-tier game journalist and critic to a game developer at one of today's most respected studios. We also talked roguelikes, narrative design, and how the "dumb" stuff in games are sometimes what makes them so memorable.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Beta Gameplay


All Races in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (Beta)

Space Wreck Trailer III

A passenger shuttle is damaged after a pirate attack and you must find replacement parts on a nearby derelict space ship. -- Intentionally short hardcore role-playing game that borrows as much as possible from best isometric RPGs (Fallout, Fallout 2, Arcanum).

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition - Official Trailer

Take a look at the first trailer for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, the 4K/HDR remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy that includes specific gameplay tweaks for Mass Effect 1. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 14, with the package playable on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 in compatibility mode.

Mass Effect 2's Cut Characters Revealed

In this special episode of Audio Logs, BioWare's Mac Walters discusses how Mass Effect 2's squadmates were created, and how the team made the game's iconic Suicide Mission.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition - Our First Impressions

Commander Shepard returns in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition! IGN's Ryan McCaffrey and former US Gamer editor-in-chief Kat Bailey got a hands-off demo of the highly anticipated remaster of the sci-fi RPG trilogy and spoke with BioWare. Here's what they thought!

Steam Game Festival February 2021: Demos of upcoming RPGs

1. Geneforge 1 - Mutagen
2. Inferno - Beyond the 7th Circle
3. Shores Unknown
4. Space Wreck
5. Together in Battle

Lovecraftian RPG Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace

Discover the upcoming narrative-driven tactical RPG based on the award-winning Lovecraftian board game. Arkham Horror: Mothers Embrace is set to be released Q1 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood Release Trailer & Reviews

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1. COGconnected - 80/100
2. Gamers Heroes - 70/100
3. GamesBeat - 3/5
4. GameWatcher - 6.5/10
5. GamingTrend - 45/100
6. Hardcore Gamer - 2/5
7. IGN - 4/10
8. PC Gamer - 79/100
9. PC Invasion - 4/10
10. PCGamesN - 4/10
11. Wccftech - 6.3/10

King Arthur: Knights Tale Previews

1. Eurogamer
2. ScreenRant
3. Fextralife
4. Gamereactor
5. KeenGamer

Colony Ship Update - First Chapter Is Playable

As the title says, the first chapter is finally playable and it looks and feels pretty good. It's another major milestone as there's a huge difference between calling up some scripts to test a quest or check dialogues and actually playing the chapter from start to finish.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister Update - Kickstarter Rewards

Today we'll be talking about something a little different than usual - we're going to be showing the advancement of our Kickstarter rewards (both digital and physical). While not everyone may be directly affected by it, you might still find it interesting to know how certain things came to be in the final game!