The Attention Deficit EP — Skream’s latest EP and the third official release from CircoLoco Records, is now live across all major digital music services including Apple Music and Spotify (embed codes below).
This four-track EP features the edit of the recent worldwide club hit The Attention Deficit Track from Skream & Jackmaster, along with the track’s full length Terrace Mix, along with two additional tracks showcasing Skream’s diverse production sounds, with the atmospheric, breakbeat-infused Floral, and the ’80s influenced electronics of Track 3, a collaboration with rising star, Jansons.
Track List:
Skream, Jackmaster – The Attention Deficit Track (Edit)
Skream, Jackmaster – The Attention Deficit Track (Terrace Mix)
Skream – Floral
Skream, Jansons – Track 3
For more links to listen and download The Attention Deficit EP, visit the CircoLoco Records site.
In case you missed it, the Halo Infinite Campaign Network Co-op Beta is live now! We’re excited for players to be able to jump into Halo Infinite’s campaign with up to three friends and experience the Master Chief’s fight against the Banished together.
The Beta will run from July 15 – August 1 and be available to play at any point throughout this window. The Beta is available to players on Xbox who are registered for the Xbox Insider Program, and players on Steam who were registered for the Halo Insider Program by July 11. While players on Xbox are able to gain access to the Beta throughout its duration by signing up for the Xbox Insider Program and downloading the build, we are unable to add additional players on Steam. Head to Halo Waypoint as a hub for all things on the Beta.
To download on Xbox, please follow the instructions below. To download on Steam, if you are eligible you will have received an invitation to join at the email address associated with your Halo Insider profile, or you can check you Halo Insider profile on Halo Waypoint.
Navigate to the Xbox Insider Hub in the “apps” tab under “Games and Apps” on the Xbox dashboard. If you do not have it downloaded you can search for the Xbox Insider Hub in the Store, or follow the instructions here if you need to register.
From the Insider Hub, navigate to the “Previews” tab on the left side of the screen.
Once there, navigate to the “Halo Infinite – Insider” page, where you will be prompted to join.
Upon joining, you will be sent to the Store page for the build where you will be able to download.
Once downloaded, the build will be available to play from the Home page or your “Games” tab under “Games and Apps.” If you are told you need an update, completely power down your Xbox and reboot – the update should be available once you restart.
Please note that the Halo Infinite Campaign Co-op beta will feature an in-development gameplay build that is not necessarily representative of the final experience and is subject to change over time. This Beta is critical for allowing 343 to test network coop at scale with a large concurrent player count, so we expect some level of instability and crashes throughout the duration.
While you are welcome to write about, stream and capture content from the Beta, we hope you’ll keep these considerations in mind as you are creating your coverage. Please see below for additional details regarding coverage:
Embargo: There is no coverage embargo for the Campaign Co-op beta, allowing you to publish coverage of your experience across written and video editorial, gameplay streams, VOD and Podcasts.
However, given the in-progress state of the content you will play, we ask that you please refrain from publishing “review-in-progress” or similar coverage of your experience.
Streaming and VOD: You are free to stream and create VOD content for the Campaign Co-op beta without restrictions.
Troubleshooting: If you run into issues accessing the beta, please reach out to your PR representative.
Additional Opportunities:
As an FYI, there are no plans for a formal preview beat around Campaign Co-op ahead of launch.
Please see last month’s Halo Waypoint blog for full details of the Beta and content, and keep an eye on @Halo and @HaloSupport for the latest updates.
While I was playing XEL these days, it got me thinking about something. Just how frequent is that trope of waking up with amnesia in a strange new world and slowly picking up the pieces. Fallout games had that, Star Wars KOTOR as well and it is a clever trope to get players immersed into the game at the start. So, is there something wrong when games play it safe like that? I’ll be the first to say no. As long as the gameplay is good and the atmosphere is engaging, the story and all the usual tropes go to the backseat. So where does that leave XEL? Front seat, back seat, with tropes or without……..let’s find out.
Story
But yes, right from the get-go, XEL is playing it safe with the story. Shipwrecked in an unfamiliar world, you play Reid, a sassy heroine in the world she’s stranded on. Devoid of her past memories, Reid must traverse the strange planet, battling enemies and solving puzzles in dungeons along the way. Partnered with her companion Chap, Reid must unearth the secrets hiding in this forgotten world and reveal the connection she has to it. Pretty soon we discover that Reid is not alone in this world, since it becomes evident is brimming with wildlife, as well as friends and foes. Eventually, things become slightly more convoluted story-wise, with time traveling and saving the world thrown into the mix.
Gameplay
After a short tutorial section, we arm ourselves with a cool-looking sword (I don’t want to call it a lightsaber but it’s pretty close), a shield and we’re off to pummel some enemies. What’s interesting about XEL is that weapons are also tools for solving puzzles. Pretty early in the game, my shield became necessary in passing around a turret to get to a key. Thought to be fair, most of these level puzzles boil down to navigating the landscape and memorizing routes in order to not get lost. As for combat, it’s far from impressive. Enemies are slow to react and have basically nonexistent AI. Your only danger is to not get overwhelmed and put yourself in a corner. The usual strategy of hit, hit, and evade will get you far. Things do get a bit engaging with some bosses here and there although the engagement is short-lived once you figure out their pattern and their telegraphed attacks.
Visuals
After most of the gameplay in XEL didn’t do much for me, I didn’t have high hopes when it came to visuals. However, I must say that the level of design and exploration here is surprisingly well made. Almost every area of the game will go through different biome changes and as soon as you get used to something in the area (“oh, seems like this is a forest level or something, I suppose”), a few steps later the level might morph into something else. Even enemy design is diverse enough to not have plenty of enemy repeats as you clear your way through levels, with some boss designs being surprisingly sophisticated.
Audio
Have you ever watched a movie or a tv show and there is a certain point where it feels like they ran out of money, enthusiasm, or something that made you go “what exactly happened there?” In any case, those were all the questions I had when it came to voice acting. It is annoyingly childish, aggressively trying to be humorous (and failing spectacularly) and some dialogue is just so bizarrely corny that it made me instantly skip some cutscenes. Speaking of it, a lot of cutscenes look badly compressed and lip sync is way way off. It’s so bad that I genuinely think the game would seem better with the story told through static images like in your everyday visual novel.
Overall
XEL is a peculiar product since it is evident that there was some care and love that went into it, at least on the drawing board. But when it was all made and done, the game ended up with a lot of annoying bugs that devs either didn’t anticipate or left them. Your character gets often obscured by the environment, occasionally NPCs will walk away from you and you have to spend what feels like an eternity combing through the level in order to find them. The camera is too far away and eventually, you realize that enemies never really go up in the difficulty. The level of combat challenges you get at the start of the game is the same one that will be with you till the end.
I’d probably have far more understanding and not as harsh if this was an Early Access game so I could tell you to wait a few months and see if anything has changed. As of right now, I can only say “hey, at least it’s not expensive” which shouldn’t exactly be a good selling point for any game. But yeah, if you still feel this might be your cup of tea, go for it but be reasonable in your expectations.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Join us in the first 30 minutes of XEL as we explore a strange new world, solve some puzzles along the way and arm ourselves with a futuristic sword and a shield to take down the fist boss in the game.
XEL is an epic 3D sci-fi fantasy action-adventure. Explore the mysterious world of XEL and help protagonist Reid to uncover her enigmatic past. Make new friends and foes along the way and collect exciting gadgets to master challenging dungeons and solve time bending puzzles.
XEL Developer: Tiny Roar Publisher: Assemble Entertainment Website: https://tinyroar.de/ Platform: Windows Release Date: 12 Jul, 2022 Price: $24.95 USD
Not Recommended – “A game with a lot of potential bogged down by a plethora of bugs and atrocious dialogue & voice acting. Playable but far from enjoyable.”
Owlcat Games has released a new developer video that shares more information on what to expect in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – the first classic roleplaying game with turn-based combat in the legendary grim darkness of the far future of Warhammer 40,000. The game’s Lead Narrative Designer, Olga Kellner, takes you on a tour through the fringes of Imperial space, with new gameplay footage and concept art, in the game currently in development in close collaboration with Games Workshop for PC and consoles.
About Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader
Players will take on the role of a Rogue Trader, a scion of an ancient dynasty of daring privateers, that reign over their own merchant empire and explore the fringes of Imperial space with the blessing of the Emperor Himself. Thanks to their Warrant of Trade – the Rogue Trader is endowed with privileges and power beyond imagination as well as the task of expanding the borders of the Imperium. At their disposal is a gargantuan voidship of immense strength and innumerable personnel ready to follow any undertakings of the leader. Show your subjects mercy or disdain, stay faithful to the Emperor or consort with enemies of Mankind – every decision and every act of the Rogue Trader sends ripples throughout entire star systems, changing the in-game world and those who inhabit it.
The action will unfold in the Koronus Expanse, a dangerous and unexplored region on the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. Many explorers have fallen victim to this dangerous place and never returned.
Remarkable and sophisticated companions are one of the pillars of cRPGs and Rogue Trader is no exception. A mighty Space Marine, a mercurial Aeldari Ranger, or even a courageous Sister of Battle armed with bolter and ardent prayers are just a few of the many characters that will join the Rogue Trader during your adventures.
The update brings a new battle pass season, a new map, a new PvE mode plus more
Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Big Chase” Content Update for the post-apocalyptic online action game; Crossout. This is the biggest update this summer featuring a new Battle Pass season, the long-awaited co-driver system, the return of the reworked “Chase” PvE mode, and the new “Peaceful Atom” PvP map.
The ninth Battle Pass season focuses on the clash between the Syndicate and the Steppenwolfs factions and will offer new vehicle parts from both of them as rewards, i.e. the huge AM-5 Avalanche assault mortar, the RA-1 Heather rocket artillery module with a new volley fire mechanic, the Miller heavy minigun, the Omamori passive protection module, as well as new structural parts and cosmetic items. The new season of the Battle Pass will last until October 16th.
A reworked co-driver system gives players even more options to finetune their vehicle before going into battle. The update brings eight new battle comrades, each of which have passive skills, as well as talents that can be activated. For example, a partner named Jay prefers to shoot at enemies at a long distance, so he reduces the dispersion of the gun and increases the damage and the speed of the projectile. Another teammate, Phobos, likes to attack stealthily, preying on single enemies and sneaking up on them from behind in stealth mode.
The reworked “Chase” raid returns to the Valley. It takes place on the new “Path of the Warrior” map where two Steppenwolf battle wagons await four Survivors who have sided with the Syndicate. The players’ goal is to stop and rob the convoy before it escapes from the location. Both trucks are heavily armed and will not give up easily. Capturing one of them would give the Survivors only a part of the valuable cargo. Capturing both will lead to the full reward.
Battles on the new Peaceful Atom PvP map take place among industrial buildings like the dilapidated hangars, old rails and rusty wagons. It’s a good place to capture some resources if you have time to get ahead of the raiders and the rest of the Survivors.
More information about the Big Chase update is available at the official website.
About Crossout Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Crossout is an MMO vehicle combat game available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S offering players complete customisation in building and upgrading deadly armored vehicles to destroy enemies in open PvP and PvE battles. Crossout gives players thousands of possibilities to design their vehicle, including shape, armor, weapons, support systems and, of course, cosmetic enhancements. Official website: http://crossout.net/
About Gaijin Entertainment Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, CRSED: F.O.A.D. and Star Conflict as well as other PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/
Company Strengthens Publishing Capability with Label Designed to Support Rising Development Talent.
Milan, July 15, 2022: Digital Bros Spa, company-listed on the STAR segment of Borsa Italiana, and operating in the global videogames market, announces today the opening of a new publishing label: HOOK.
Based in Digital Bros’ Milan head office, with international members of the team based in different countries, HOOK includes industry veterans with more than 20 years of experience and will focus on identifying talented indie developers with strong creative visions to help them publish and market their games on the global marketplace. HOOK also offers an all-around solution for developer needs including funding, development support, QA, localization, marketing & PR.
Some of HOOK’s current projects include KINGDOM of the DEAD (Dirigo Games), Madshot (Overflow) and Unholy (Duality Games), among other undisclosed projects.
The establishment of HOOK comes off the back of Digital Bros Group latest acquisitions which include Supernova Games Studios, DR Studios, InfinityPlus 2, Kunos Simulazioni and Avant Garden. It also allows the Digital Bros group to strengthen its global publishing capability beyond the renowned 505 Games label (Death Stranding, Control, Bloodstained, Terraria).
Further information about HOOK and its upcoming projects will be communicated soon.
HOOK, a Digital Bros’ subsidiary, is a publishing label focused on offering a unique selection of indie games which stand out for concept, visual, genre or themes.
HOOK provides full-service publishing support (including funding, development support, QA, localization, marketing & PR) to independent development teams with a strong commitment and vision, to help them deliver and market their projects globally.
DIGITAL BROS GROUP
Listed on the Star segment of Borsa Italiana, Digital Bros Group is a global company that has been operating since 1989 as a developer, publisher and distributor of video games through its brand 505 Games. The Group distributes its contents on both retail and digital channels. Digital Bros Group is active around the world through its own direct operations in Italy, United States, UK, France, Spain, Germany, China, Japan and Australia with approximately 250 employees.
Developer Torn Banner Studios and publisher Tripwire Presents announced today that Chivalry 2 has sold over 2 million copies worldwide across all platforms. The award-winning medieval multiplayer hit is available now on PC (viaSteam andEpic Games Store), thePlayStation®4 andPlayStation®5 computer entertainment systems,Xbox One andXbox Series X|S. To celebrate this exciting milestone, Torn Banner Studios has unveiled a brand-new developer diary with a behind-the-scenes look at the Tenosian Invasion update, which added mounted horse combat, a new faction, and more. In addition, the developers look ahead and share the first details of what’s coming next for the ultimate medieval battlefield.
As discussed in the new developer diary, Torn Banner Studios set out on a mission to double the content scope of Chivalry 2 in a single year, and has officially achieved that goal. Since launch, the team has released numerous, free content updates, adding the new weapons-free Brawl Mode, new Team Objective and Deathmatch maps, and many new weapons, just to name a few. Most recently, they launched their biggest update yet – Tenosian Invasion – alongside the game’s release on Steam, bringing mounted combat, cavalry charges, a brand-new faction, and more to Chivalry 2.
Looking ahead, the developer diary outlines some of the exciting upcoming additions coming to Chivalry 2. These include the Hippodrome, a new tournament-styled map set in the Tenosian faction setting and designed with mounted horse combat in mind, a new Tenosian-inspired weapon called the Katar, a new winter-themed biome featuring snow and ice, and the long-awaited cross-play party social support, which has been highly requested from the community. Players can expect these features and more as Torn Banner reinforces its commitment to supporting and expanding the scope of Chivalry 2 for 2022 and beyond.
Join us for the first 40 minutes of gameplay for Nightmare Frames. We start by getting to know Alan Goldberg, the main character, discover multiple locations and get to know some of the people in Alan’s life.
Nightmare Frames is a supernatural thriller where you’ll step into the shoes of Alan Goldberg, in the search for the scariest horror film of all time. An enthralling journey through the streets of the Hollywood of the 80s, a small haunted town, and even Hell itself.
Recommended – “Nightmare Frames is solo developer Postmodern Adventures’ most ambitious project yet. It is a great old-school supernatural thriller point-and-click adventure game with some pacing issues.”
Sydney, Australia, July 15th: The HOT WHEELS™ – Looney Tunes Expansion is now available, delivering a large number of marvellous new content.
The HOT WHEELS™ Looney Tunes Expansion includes 5 new vehicles: Bugs Bunny™, Daffy Duck™, Wile E. Coyote™, Road Runner™ and Marvin the Martian™, a fresh new environment, the Looney Tunes Adventure Park is divided into 4 areas, including the iconic desert set of Wile E. Coyote’s epic fails. The expansion also contains ACME Rockets, a new staggering Track Builder Module and a themed Customisation Pack for the Basement.
The HOT WHEELS™ – Looney Tunes Expansion for Hot Wheels Unleashed™ is now available on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
Founded in Milan in 1996, Milestone S.r.l. is one of the leading and longest established racing game developers in the world. The 260+ people team is responsible for hit series like HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™ MotoGP™, MXGP and Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame, as well as RIDE and Gravel, Milestone’s own IPs.
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends™, UNO® and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and e-commerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.
