Take your first steps in this mysterious world at the “Going Rogue” Steam Festival
Milano, Italy – May 3rd, 2022 – Studio Cima is excited to announce that its upcoming narrative adventure game, The Perfect Pencil, will have a playable demo at Steam’s “Going Rogue: A Festival of Persistence” festival. Set to release for PC and Nintendo Switch in Early 2023, The Perfect Pencil is a narrative-focused platformer set in a strange world filled with perilous paths and unsettling creatures.
With combat and gameplay elements taking inspiration from games such as Hollow Knight and Earthbound with psychological depth of the characters, typical of games like Celeste, this combination is beautifully wrapped in a hand drawn art style. The Perfect Pencil aims to challenge players to comprehend and face uncomfortable situations that stem from their fears and anxieties – a topic very much in the zeitgeist of today – as part of a wholly engaging experience.
Engaging and unusual interactions, challenging choices, surprising exploration and fast paced combat will keep the gameplay interesting throughout whilst the narrative reveals itself. This game has its own language full of humour and allegories which it uses alongside immersive gameplay, to speak intimately to the player.
About Studio Cima Based in Italy, Studio Cima was born in April 2019 from an idea of Stefano Rauzi, following an artistic path that started with drawing and painting leading to videogames. Through the years collaborators have joined to give the right importance to every aspect of its first game “The Perfect Pencil” and to develop this project in the best possible way. Studio Cima aims to keep creating, through the videogame medium potential, interesting and narratively engaging adventures that explore human nature.
Ship-to-ship Refueling, Mining Gadgets, and Loot Selling Added in Latest Major Update; Includes Lorville Hospital, Interactive River Tech and New FlyableHull A Cargo Ship
LOS ANGELES – May 2, 2022 – Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) today announced the release of the Star Citizen – Alpha 3.17: Fueling Fortunesupdate. Available now, Fueling Fortunes expands the economic and career opportunities available to pilots with the addition of new locations to explore, and tools to support emergent gameplay. The Musashi Industrial & Starflight Concern (MISC) manufacturer introduces the new Hull A – the entry-level ship in the MISC Hull lineup of cargo-hauling vessels perfect for pilots beginning their career in trading, now available for spaceflight.
Life in the ‘verse can be dangerous and costly, and every pilot needs a way to earn an honest living. Today’s Fueling Fortunes update adds new functionality to NPC vendors and storefronts, allowing pilots to sell unwanted inventory items for cold hard UEC when they’re done hunting pirates or exploring for resources. There are also new and improved ways to earn credits with the addition of ship-to-ship refueling, allowing MISC Starfarer owners to refuel ships in space and charge customers for the service, as well as mining gadgets that can enhance the mineral yield of asteroids. Additionally, players can explore the first implementation of river technology with the introduction of the first interactive river on microTech, teeming with plant life and harvestable resources on the surrounding bank. For full details on theStar Citizen – Alpha 3.17: Fueling Fortunes update, please head here.
“With the Alpha 3.17: Fueling Fortunes releasewe’re thrilled to introduce new places to explore like the Maria Pure of Heart hospital in Lorville and new ways to participate in the in-game economy – whether it be through selling plunder from hard-fought pirate battles or counting your profits from a day of mining and cargo transporting,” said Star Citizen Creative Director, Chris Roberts. “We’re excited to see how pilots interact with the new features and watch the emergent gameplay unfold, especially with ship-to-ship refueling, which will create interesting encounters between players. This is just the start of our plans for 2022, and we can’t wait to share more details about what is in store for Star Citizen.”
Star Citizen – Alpha 3.17: Fueling Fortunes update key features include:
Ship-to-ship Refueling: The MISC Starfarer can now refuel stranded ships or top off fuel tanks before a long voyage. Pilots can charge the recipients for the fuel and service, creating a new money-making profession in the ‘verse.
Selling to NPCs: NPC vendors and stores are now greater participants in the economy, and players can sell weapons, armor, and other looted items for UEC.
Mining Gadgets: Take asteroid mining to new depths! Mining gadgets can be placed on asteroids with a variety of effects such as making the asteroid easier to break apart or increasing the quantity of mineable minerals.
Lorville Hospital: The Maria Pure of Heart hospital has been added to the Hurston Dynamics company town of Lorville, welcoming in new patients. Pilots can now access hospitals in all landing zones of the Stanton system.
Interactive River Tech: With the implementation of river tech complete, the first interactive river has been added and can be found on microTech. Pilots can glide over the water in search of harvestable resources, or go for a stroll through the water for a different perspective on the ‘verse (helmet required).
MISC Hull A: The “entry level” of the MISC Hull line of commerce-grade cargo ships is ready to kick-start a pilot’s career in space-trucking with its unique, expandable arm tech for carrying large commercial cargo containers. As with the larger Hull ships in its series, the MISC Hull A is designed to do one thing – haul lots of cargo. With the ability to land planet-side even when fully loaded, it’s the perfect vehicle for enterprising station-to-orbit cargo captains throughout the ‘verse.
Star Citizen combines classic space sim and FPS gameplay with boundary-pushing visuals in a massively multiplayer setting of unprecedented fidelity. Live how you want to live: shift paths from cargo hauler to outlaw, explorer, or any other role, whenever you want. Explore multiple planets and moons, including vast cities and underground caverns, all created with a unique combination of procedural planet technology and complementary hand-crafted design.
For further information, including how to download and play Star Citizen, visit the official website. Enlist today and join this ever-expanding universe by visiting the game’s Welcome Hub and Guide System for tips on how to play. Keep up to date with Star Citizen development via the game’s Progress Tracker and roadmap. Millions of players from around the world have already joined to help CIG build the most ambitious game ever made. For continued updates, follow Star Citizen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube.
About Cloud Imperium Games
Cloud Imperium Games is a new kind of independent studio dedicated to delivering AAA games outside the established publisher system. It was founded in 2012 by renowned visionary game developer Chris Roberts (Wing Commander series, Freelancer, Privateer), Sandi Gardiner, and international media lawyer and producer Ortwin Freyermuth (Carlito’s Way, Shattered, Das Boot – Director’s Cut), with industry veteran and studio director Erin Roberts (Lego videogame series, Starlancer, Privateer) joining the team in 2013. Cloud Imperium Games is creating Star Citizen, a record-shattering, largely crowdfunded space sim, and Squadron 42, a Hollywood-caliber, story-driven single-player game set in the same universe. Cloud Imperium Games operates in “open development” – sharing progress and updates in near real time. This paradigm-shifting development process (game development usually occurs behind closed doors) gives the community an unprecedented look at Star Citizen and Squadron 42’s development and allows direct feedback and interaction between players and developers, thereby ensuring that the games being developed are what players want to play.
EA founder brings invaluable industry experience to support 110 Industries in building its global games brand
Tolochenaz, Switzerland – May 2nd, 2022 – 110 Industries is excited to announce the hire of games industry legend Trip Hawkins as advisor to the board. Trip will leverage his extensive knowledge and experience in the games industry to assist 110 Industries in building its corporate culture and brand, as well as providing invaluable leadership advice.
Trip played a key role in establishing Apple’s corporate culture before moving on to found EA, pioneering a revolutionary team-based approach to game development that changed the industry and turned EA into a juggernaut with a roster of highly-successful titles. More recently, Trip founded award-winning developer Digital Chocolate, worked with Skillz on their mobile eSports platform and founded If You Can Company to create games that help children with emotional and educational development.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Trip join us as an advisor,” said 110 Industries founder and Creative Director Sergei Kolobashkin. “From Apple, to EA and beyond, Trip is the rare kind of executive that has been both founder and boots on the ground. In building our brand and corporate culture, we want to learn from the best, and Trip fits the bill perfectly!”.
110 Industries is the studio behind the anticipated Wanted: Dead, a high-octane third-person action game featuring spectacular melee sword combat and stylish John Wick-style maneuvers, sci-fi racer Red Goes Faster and time-bending mech combat game Vengeance Is Mine.
“110 Industries is a really ambitious company with a compelling vision and an exciting slate of upcoming titles, so this is a project that I’m really excited to be involved in,” said 110 Industries advisor to the board Trip Hawkins. “I believe they have the potential to make a big impact on the industry and I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to assist the company in delivering on that”.
About 110 Industries 110 Industries is a company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games for gaming consoles and cloud gaming services; provides strategic, transparent and tailored solutions for successful long-term investments on the video game market.
Join us for the first 30 minutes of gameplay for Cat Cafe Manager as we travel to the sleepy village of Caterwaul Way and start building a home for dozens of unique felines! Gameplay runs through the first 6 days of business.
Travel to the sleepy village of Caterwaul Way and rebuild your grandmother’s cat cafe. Renovate your restaurant, befriend the local cats and townsfolk, forge lasting friendships, unravel catty mysteries, and build a home for dozens of unique felines!
Cat Cafe Manager Developer: Roost Games Publisher: Freedom Games Platform: Windows Release Date: 21 April 2022 Price: $19.99 USD
Embracer Group, the parent company and owner of companies such as THQ Nordic, Gearbox Software, Deep Silver, and many more more has announced that they have entered into an agreement with Square Enix to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal. This acquisition includes a “catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and more than 50 back-catalogue games from Square Enix.”
In total the acquisition will bring roughly 1,100 employees across the studios in eight global locations under Embracer Group’s name and the total purchase price has been listed at 300 million USD. It is worth noting that the deal has not yet been completed though it is expected to close during the second quarter of Embracer’s 2022/23 fiscal year.
”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer,” says Lars Wingefors, Co-founder and Group CEO, Embracer Group.
”Embracer is the best kept secret in gaming: a massive, decentralized collection of entrepreneurs whom we are thrilled to become a part of today. It is the perfect fit for our ambitions: make high-quality games, with great people, sustainably, and grow our existing franchises to their best versions ever. Embracer allows us to forge new partnerships across all media to maximize our franchises’ potential and live our dreams of making extraordinary entertainment,” says Phil Rogers, Square Enix America and Europe CEO.
This might be my first time reviewing The Stanley Parable, but it’s actually the third time that I’m playing it. The game first came out as a mod for Half-Life 2 back in 2011 and my understanding of it was…….all over the place, to be fair. Mainly because my level of English was just average at best so I had serious trouble following the story and the basic premise of the game. Got one ending and called it a day. Then in 2013, the mod evolved into a standalone game with its official Steam release. And almost a decade later, we got something called The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe. It promises new endings, choices, and secrets to discover so let’s see what’s it all about.
Story
And here is our first hurdle. Describing the game and the story of it while trying not to go all-in with spoilers is nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to reviews. But what to say when the whole game is misleading by design? When the initial presentation of the game is fundamentally different from the actual game? You have to find a way and convey something while saying nothing at all (which, to some extent, is what The Stanley Parable is trying to achieve).
But let’s start from the basics. The story is about Stanley, an employee 427 in an office building. He has a cushy government job consisting of pressing keys on the keyboard every now and then while monitoring data coming from the computer screen. One day, his screen goes blank, he leaves his room for help and discovers that the whole building is abandoned. And this is where our story starts taking shape. Almost every action of his is being described by the game narrator, who often breaks the 4th wall and scolds Stanley (aka you) when taking the “wrong” path. With that premise explained, it would be easy to describe the game as your average walking simulator but The Stanley Parable has always been so much more. It is a game and a meta-commentary on the games in general and a somewhat satirical dissertation on the video game industry and a cynical jab at the achievement system in video games. It pokes fun at everything and it also manages to take itself seriously as well.
Gameplay
If I could focus on one selling point of the game, it’s that there is no wrong way to play it. Seriously, they thought of everything. To illustrate the point, here is some relevant info: the original mod had six different endings, the first Steam release from 2013 added 10 more and I managed to discover 8 new ones so far in The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe. One time, I wanted to peek more into one room that is usually closed on more than one occasion so I used the good old sv_cheats 1 approach and then firing up noclip command (the veterans of Source will know).
And guess what? There is an ending for that too. There is an ending if you die on purpose, an ending that’s unlocked if you do everything opposite of what the narrator says, there is also one for standing still and not doing anything at all, and let’s not forget the ending that you get if you keep doing one ending over and over again. The Stanley Parable has always been a game of discovery, introspection, satire, and futility.
Visuals
Besides new endings and easter eggs, another thing you might notice is the significant visual overhaul. The game now looks more polished, with clearer textures and better lighting. Furthermore, every seemingly unimportant action might have a significant impact on visuals down the road. On your 45th playthrough, you might finally check out that blinking light on the answering machine in one of the office cubicles. Answer it, approve the order and on your next playthrough, almost every room and corridor will be filled with dozens and dozens of cardboard boxes. That was all your doing.
Audio
It is almost impossible to talk about this game without mentioning the life of the party. The narrator. He is funny, reliable, insane, angry, unpredictable, disappointed, and all the other things I have yet to discover with each new playthrough. At the same time, he is presented as this omnipotent being that knows Stanley to his core and a few minutes later he can be genuinely unprepared for some of your actions and one end is specifically made to show you how he loses his sanity without you. You two are inseparable. The is no Stanley without the narrator and no narrator without Stanley.
Overall
I pretty much manage to explain what is the game about while saying nothing much of substance (somewhat mirroring the game even) but there is one more important question left. The one that is not exclusive to this game really. Who is The Stanley Parable for? For a niche audience or does it dare to shoot for something bigger? I thought about this a lot and I finally have the answer.
One day, a friend might ask you for a game recommendation. He will say “I want to play something different. It has to be unique and I want to be surprised. It doesn’t have to be what I usually play but I want it to be something good. Do you have that kind of game for me?” And that will be your cue. You will then say “I sure do! Have you heard about lord and savior The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe?” And they will certainly say “I have not but something tells me this will be a start of a beautiful friendship”. Roll credits.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After a number of delays D3 Publisher and Sandlot have announced that Earth Defense Force 6 will be releasing on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 25th in Japan. Currently no Western release has been announced but each game, including a voxel spin-off, has been released in the West so far.
Earth Defense Force 6will take place a few years after the massive invasion that occurred in the previous game and will still offer the Ranger, Wing Diver, Air Raider, and Fencer classes though they will now play a bit differently than they have in the past.
The company has also announced that all launch copies of the game will include three members of the Hololive Japan, Ookmai Mio, Shirakami Fubuki, and Nakiri Ayame as inflatable decoys that can be deployed to temporarily draw enemy insects and other creatures away from the player.
It appears that the wait for Final Fantasy XVI may not be as long as many had suspected as, in an interview published in Uniqlo’s UT Magazine, producer Naoki Yoshida has stated that development for the game is “in the final stretch.” The magazine interview is being held as part of a collaboration between the clothing brand and Final Fantasy for the 35th anniversary.
The full translated interview, as found on R/FFXVI, states: “Right now the development of Final Fantasy XVI is in its final stage. As a single player game, we are aiming to integrate story and gameplay even further. Different to a game where many people play online at the same time, the extent to which the game has an individual focus changes how immersed you are in the story. I think it’s become a story with quite a lot of depth. To people who have grown up, entered working society and think “reality isn’t as easy-going as a video game”, and at some point ended up separating from Final Fantasy, we want to want them to remember their passion from back then. We’re making the game with that intention.”
This news follows the previous announcement that the next major announcement for Final Fantasy XVI would be revealed sometime this spring after a delay in development. Currently Final Fantasy XVI is being developed by Square Enix as a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
In our latest gameplay, we cover the first 50 minutes of the gothic-anime metroidvania Hunter X. It’s a very fast-paced action adventure game for PC.
HunterX is an action-adventure game full of spirited battles. Use various styles of weapons and magic to experience your own fighting style and explore a great world.
HunterX Developer: ORANGE POPCORN Publisher: ORANGE POPCORN Platform: Windows Release Date: 26 April 2022 Price: $14.99 USD
Recommended – “HunterX is a metroidvania done the old way. It features fast and addictive gameplay, but lacks variety and polish in its presentation and design.”
Check out latest gameplay for The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe as we complete two bizarre endings and a special third one featuring your brand new bucket companion.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an expanded re-imagining of 2013’s The Stanley Parable. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will make a choice, and you will become powerless. You are not here to win. The Stanley Parable is a game that plays you.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Developer: Crows Crows Crows Publisher: Crows Crows Crows Website: https://www.stanleyparable.com/ Platform: Windows Release Date: 28 Apr, 2022 Price: $24.99 USD
Recommended – “It might make you laugh, leave you confused and upset, possibly sad, even scared but never indifferent. Not so much a game as it is a unique experience worth checking out.”
