XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced the release of the first wave of paid DLC for STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town, which launched exclusively on the Nintendo Switch™ system on Mar. 23. The first DLC is available now as part of the ‘Expansion Pass’ on the Nintendo eShop, priced at $19.99, or as part of the ‘Expansion Pass Set’ including the base game priced at $69.99. The second wave of DLC with new ‘School Uniform’ outfits and the ‘Windswept Falls Expansion Pack’, a brand-new area home to four characters from a previous STORY OF SEASONS title, will release on May 27.
The first wave of the DLC features new ‘Animal Attire’ costumes for the protagonist and the 10 marriage candidates, as well as the new ‘Olive Town Mystery Files’ sub-scenario. In the very first mystery scenario in the STORY OF SEASONS series, the protagonist joins Mikey and Cindy to discover the cause of strange incidents occurring across Olive Town!
‘Expansion Pass’ Part 1 Content
‘Animal Attire’ costumes for the protagonists
‘Animal Attire’ costumes for the 10 marriage candidates
New Sub-Scenario ‘Olive Town Mystery Files’
STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town DLC trailer
About STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town
STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town is a brand-new adventure that drops eager explorers in Olive Town, a charming seaside community on the edge of the untamed frontier, where they will work to breathe life back into their grandfather’s dilapidated farm. Though it may at first appear to be a sleepy burg, Olive Town is home to dozens of unique characters to befriend when players are ready to take a break from building their dream farm— a dream farm where further exploration of the farm can yield magical lands where seasons never change, an island in the sky and even a unicorn to ride!
Developed by Marvelous Inc. and published by XSEED Games in North America on the Nintendo Switch™ system, STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town launched on Mar. 23, 2021. The ‘Premium Edition’ and a standalone retail version are available for purchase from the XSEED Games Store and participating retailers for a MSRP of $59.99 and $49.99 respectively. The digital versions of the game are available for purchase on the Nintendo eShop, with the ‘Expansion Pass Set’ priced at $69.99 and the base game priced at $49.99. The title has been rated “E for Everyone” on the Nintendo Switch by the ESRB.
Join Newzoo to Learn More About How Latin America Continues to Grow in the Global Video Games Market
São Paulo, Brazil (April 29, 2021) — Brazil’s Independent Games (BIG) Festival, the largest independent games festival in Latin America, is excited to announce that renowned gaming analytics firm Newzoo will be presenting the latest key insights, metrics, and trends regarding Brazil’s gaming industry growth for the first time during this year’s event. On Wednesday, May 5, from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM GMT-3, Guilherme Fernandes from Newzoo will present Newzoo: A Spotlight on the Brazilian Games Market – Key Numbers and Trends. The panel will provide analysis on the gaming market in Latin America, giving developers key information to help them succeed in this vast and growing market. Brazil and the entirety of Latin America continue to rise as a key player in the global gaming industry.
As of last year, the games industry in Brazil demonstrated growth at an exponential rate, being the 13th largest video game market globally and the second in Latin America. Brazil is home to 81.2 million players who generated $1.6 billion USD in revenue last year. Brazil is a central figure in the global games market, but with the prices of gaming PCs and consoles being some of the highest in the world, 70% of Brazilian players have turned to mobile gaming. According to Newzoo, as of last year, half of both Brazilian men and women play mobile games, while roughly 40% of men and women play PC games. Purchase intent is healthy as well, as 83% of gamers in the region have made an in-game purchase within the past six months. Newzoo’s presentation will break down those statistics and provide the latest information to showcase both the astounding growth and potential in such an explosive market.
“Brazil has consistently gained the recognition it deserves as one of the fastest-growing regions for video game development, and the numbers don’t lie,” said Carla Frade, project manager at the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, Apex-Brasil. “The potential here is enormous and beginning to see the amazing things this country is capable of.”
“With more than 80 million players and growing, the Brazilian games industry is a key market for developers and publishers from all over the globe,” said Eliana Russi, Executive Manager at Brazil Games. “World-renowned companies like Google, Amazon, Nintendo, and Xbox are invested in the future of this country’s industry and we’re only just getting started.”
Newzoo will discuss their findings regarding Latin America’s gaming market and how game developers can tap into its market and trends, such as cloud gaming, subscription gaming, and the continued rise of competitive mobile games. With support from the Brazil Games Export Program, a partnership between the Brazilian Game Companies Association, ABRAGAMES, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), BIG Festival continues to function as a fundamental business hub for video game professionals across the globe through its lectures, networking events, and digital face-to-face meetings. For a small fee, registered attendees can schedule one-on-one online meetings with some of the major companies in attendance to discuss publishing their games, investment opportunities, and build valuable business connections.
Watch Newzoo’s presentation for free by visiting the website or on the BIG Festival’s official YouTube channel.
BIG Festival 2021’s presentations will begin Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 9:30 AM Brazil time / 8:30 AM EDT and will end on May 8. Find the full schedule here.
BIG Festival, which received more than 20,000 visitors in 2019, is the largest and most important game festival in Latin America. Since 2012, the event has become a central meeting point for studios to attend lectures and workshops, network, and meet with industry peers to learn more about the business of gaming. BIG has helped hundreds of innovative games from all over the world connect with an international audience. Networking opportunities held at the event generated more than 4,000 meetings between 630 game industry professionals from 34 countries. In light of complications resulting from the global pandemic, BIG Festival transitioned to an online-only event, BIG Digital in 2020 and the Festival still managed to draw record numbers, with more than 22,000 viewers tuning in to the event online. The BIG Festival’s digital version generated 3,876 business meetings between more than 333 publishers, developers, and investors from a stunning 38 countries. These vital interactions led to an estimated $7 million USD in business deals!
Brazil Games is the export program created by the Brazilian Independent Game Companies Association, ABRAGAMES, in partnership with Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. Our goal is to promote the Brazilian Indie Game industry internationally, developing new business opportunities for our companies. The Brazil Games Program also promotes Brazil as the hub for business in Latin America and invites buyers, investors, and publishers for BIG Festival, Brazil’s Independent Games Festival, the most important international indie games festival, and the hub for international business in Latin America.
About Apex-Brasil
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and to attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. The Agency’s efforts comprise trade and prospective missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, the arrangement of technical visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the country’s branding abroad. Apex-Brasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, by working to identify business opportunities, promoting strategic events, and providing support to foreign investors interested in allocating resources in Brazil.
Arthurian Legend Merges Sci Fi Horror in Tactical Turn-Based Combat
Baltimore, MD – April 29th, 2021 – Independent developer Room-C Games in co-production with Croteam and indie publisher Versus Evil are excited to announce that their rogue-lite RPG game The Hand of Merlin will be launching on PC Early Access via Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG PC via on May 11th.
The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG written by Jonas Kyratzes (The Talos Principle, Serious Sam 4) and Verena Kyratzes (The Lands of Dream, Serious Sam 4) in which Arthurian legend clashes with sci-fi horror. Players recruit three mortal heroes on a desperate journey from Albion to Jerusalem to explore richly-imagined medieval lands on the brink of apocalypse – assaulted by an otherworldly evil. In The Hand of Merlin, choices are permanent, the decisions you make echo for eternity and can make all the difference to your party’s synergy and combat prowess.Search for the lost fragments of your soul, scattered across the multiverse – and save as many worlds as you can. This is a world where items imbued with magical power are scattered throughout, from a peasant’s humble luck charm to the legendary sword wielded by Arthur himself.
Utilizing squad-based and turn-based combat, players can employ tactical cunning to use cover, set up ambushes and coordinate attacks to conquer both human and demonic foes looking to do them harm. The battle for good against evil has only just begun.
“The popularity of roguelite RPG’s, coupled with the uniquely disruptive clash of worlds in a beautifully crafted game like The Hand of Merlin really emphasizes the game’s narrative. Versus Evil prides itself in finding immersive games with great storytelling and this is an exciting addition to the ranks” Said Steve Escalante, General Manager of Versus Evil.
The Hand of Merlin will be available as both a standard edition and a Deluxe edition when it launches next month with the Deluxe edition including a copy of the games soundtrack.
To find out more about The Hand of Merlin and to wishlist the game head over to its Steam page here
About Versus Evil
Founded in 2013, Versus Evil, LLC is the US based video game publisher behind critically acclaimed video games Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and The Banner Saga trilogy. Publishing games on all major mobile, PC and console platforms, Versus Evil works with independent development studios from around the world. The corporate philosophy is to champion for the independent game developer. For more information visit versusevil.com
About Room C Games
Room-C Games is a spin-off studio started by some of Croteam’s most talented game engineers and core team members (The Talos Principle, Serious Sam). They are a small 9-person dev-team based in Zagreb, Croatia, composed of an (almost) equal number of industry veterans and passionate young blood with a simple, but challenging mission – to enrich players’ lives with memorable gaming experiences.
EVERSPACE™ 2’s first major update brings all-new story and side-quest missions to the Union star system. Along with a new companion and boss encounter, Bomber ship class, an enemy sub-faction with special gear, and more, the update introduces smuggling to Early Access players.
Hamburg, Germany – April 29, 2021 – Independent developer and publisher ROCKFISH Games have just announced the first major content update, Union: Contracts/Heartland, to their high-rated open-world space action RPG EVERSPACE 2 is now live on Steam and GOG. Space game enthusiasts can look forward to a new companion, additional main and side story missions, introducing all-new smuggling gameplay, as well as a new ship class, activities, challenges, improved game balancing, special gear with set bonuses, and more.
Watch 12 minutes of EVERSPACE 2 Gameplay from the new update:
The biggest part of this update are the three main and three side missions as well as several additional side activities, most taking place in the second star system, Union. As part of these missions, players will be introduced to new smuggling gameplay by Elek, the rogue Outlaw from EVERSPACE: Encounters, who joins the party as a new companion after being rescued.
The update also brings four new music tracks to Union, threebattlethemes and an additional chill synthwave beat for Supralight travel and more.
Early Access players will now be able to jump in the cockpit of the new heavy-class Bomber, a bulky demolition expert with a virtually unlimited supply of missiles and mines, the ability to regenerate hull by damaging enemies, and has the infamous ARC-9000 on board—This much-loved secondary weapon of mass destruction from the first EVERSPACE installment makes a comeback as the Bomber’s explosive Ultimate.
“EVERSPACE 2 had a fantastic launch with 92% positive reviews right out of the gate back in January. Pilots were really excited, burned through the content and demanded more—a good problem to have,” said Michael Schade, CEO and Co-Founder of ROCKFISH Games. “Going into Early Access, we had eight to twelve hours of story content and twice as many side activities, secrets, and challenges to discover, as well as five ship classes. With Union: Contracts/Hinterland we’re adding new, carefully scripted, story content, introducing all-new gameplay mechanics, a new ship class that brings a unique playstyle to the game as well as lots of hidden treasures in Union. We also made a ton of tweaks and quality-of-life improvements overall, so we encourage pilots to start a new game to get the full new experience, but they can also just hop in and continue with their existing saves.”
Union: Contracts/Heartland is set to be followed by EVERSPACE 2’s second major update this summer. Currently titled Zharkov: the Vortex, the next update will bring another companion, new enemy types, new creatures and space phenomena, as well as additional main and side missions, activities, and more.
For more details on the April update as well as a full changelog, visit the latest EVERSPACE 2Kickstarter post. Find out more about Elek, the new Bomber, and new boss fight in the previous Kickstarter Update.
A high resolution image of the EVERSPACE 2 2021 roadmap can be downloaded here.
Every Friday, the EVERSPACE 2 team shows off content from their latest dev build on the ROCKFISH Games Twitch and YouTube channel from 8 pm to 10 pm CEST / 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST / 11:00 am to 1:00 pm PST.
About EVERSPACE™ 2 EVERSPACE 2 continues the story of Adam Roslin from the first part of the series. Starting with two sprawling star systems that can be freely explored by space pilots, players experience Adam’s emotional journey and personal development from an immortal clone space pilot to an individual of character whose death has final consequences in an open-world action RPG. EVERSPACE 2 offers in the current Early Access version more than 25 hours of gameplay and already contains all core mechanics of the targeted final version.
EVERSPACE 2 can be purchased on Steam here and on GOG here. The full version for PC, including Mac and native Linux support, will be released at a reasonably increased price in summer 2022 and come with UI and text language support for German, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Russian, simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
About ROCKFISH Games GmbH
ROCKFISH Games is a 100% independent game studio specializing in high-quality Unreal Engine 4 action video games for PC and consoles. Industry veterans Michael Schade and Christian Lohr founded ROCKFISH Games to create a new breed of adrenalin-filled adventures for space shooter fans through their acclaimed EVERSPACE IP. After spending over 20 years as joint entrepreneurs in the 3D graphics and mobile gaming space, Schade and Lohr built ROCKFISH Games from the ground up alongside a small team of veteran developers to the current studio of 25 cherry-picked developers and community experts from across the industry.
Using Kickstarter as a platform to build a new community in 2015, ROCKFISH Games reached a runaway success with EVERSPACE, which has sold over two million copies on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Building on this success and propelled by yet another wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019, ROCKFISH Games is dedicated to crafting a true next-gen open-world space shooter experience driven by quality storytelling as an open-development project together with space action aficionado from around the globe in their upcoming title, EVERSPACE 2.
Rome Is Where the Heart Is: New Instalment of the Expeditions Franchise Announced
Sydney, Australia, Aprilis XXX., MMXXI – Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! We’ve come to praise a new game, called Expeditions: Rome! A classic RPG (Rome Playing Game) it is, full of story and memorable characters. A game where your choices will matter, where your choices will shape the fate of Rome itself.
You are about to become a young Legatus, leading a Roman legion against the forces of a rebelling Greece. This campaign marks the start of your legacy that will take you to all corners of the world, making friends and allies, growing as a warrior and leader, all while uncovering political plots that have far-reaching implications for the future of Rome. Prove yourself in turn-based combat and find the right tactics to overcome any challenge you and your fellowship of elite fighters will face, then direct your legion to exert the might of Rome across the world.
Check out the announcement trailer here
Check out the first gameplay trailer:
Expeditions: Rome is developed by Logic Artists, from Copenhagen, Denmark, who were also responsible for the critically acclaimed Expeditions: Conquistador and Expeditions: Viking. But as we all know: all roads lead to Rome. The game is currently in development for PC and scheduled to release later this year. Find out more on the official Website.
About Expeditions: Rome The future of Rome is in your hands: what will your legacy be?
Take on the role of a young Legatus whose father was murdered by an unknown political opponent, forcing you to escape Rome and take refuge in the military campaign to subdue a Greek rebellion. Step by step, you increase your military prowess, strengthen yourself in the forge of combat, and become the Legatus everyone learns to both respect, and to fear.
In Expeditions: Rome, you exert the will of Rome through your actions across the world stage, from the bright blue coasts of Greece to the deep forests of Gaul. Decide how people will view you, and Rome. Will you strike with an iron fist, or speak with a silver tongue? Will you embrace the political heritage of the Republic, or carve your own path as you navigate the complex politics of the Roman Senate? Every choice matters as you decide the fate of your legion, your close companions, and of Rome itself.
Features
Create your own Roman Legatus! Customise your character’s look, gender, class, and skills to match your playstyle and role-playing fantasy
Engage in tactical turn-based combat powered by an extensive skill-based action system where every weapon changes your potency on the battlefield
Adventure with 5 unique companions discovering their extensive backstories and unique personalities
Explore a beautifully realized, colourful world across many different environments, including North Africa, Greece, Gaul, and Rome herself
Experience a historically inspired story of political intrigue and personal drama through a fully voiced narrative where choices matter and consequences are far-reaching
Level up each character and select from a variety of skills and passive abilities to explore a wide range of tactical options
Loot, Craft, and Equip a variety of weapons, armours, and tactical items to customise your game even further, providing a tremendous range of tactical options for each character
Lead your legion on 3 extensive war campaigns across Greece, North Africa, and Gaul. Recruit legionaries, improve your warcamp, conquer regions, exploit resources, and defend your territories as you lead your legion to victory
About Logic Artists Logic Artists is an independent game development studio headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. We develop tactical roleplaying games for PC and consoles, with a loyal and passionate fanbase. Logic Artists was founded in 2011, and has become one of the largest game development studios in Denmark. In 2019, we opened a new office in Istanbul, Turkey to boost our development capacities. We have published several games including our critically acclaimed historical RPGs; Expeditions: Conquistador and Expeditions: Viking.
BANDAI NAMCO Studios and Phoenixx Reveal Survival Quiz City Limited-Time Playtest
30-Player Multiplayer Mayhem Begins 8 May
TOKYO – 29 April 2021 –Survival Quiz City, the multiplayer survival quiz action game from developer BANDAI NAMCO Studios and publisher Phoenixx, invites contestants to answer questions correctly or suffer the consequences in a pair of four-hour open playtest sessions on Friday, 7 May and Saturday, 8 May on Steam.
In an alternate-future metropolis, the biggest game show is Survival Quiz City, where the inhabitants use their mind and body to compete for fame and fortune. Each round starts with a multiple-choice question. Be smart, but be quick: only so many people can answer correctly! Those who guess wrong or aren’t fast enough get dropped to an obstacle course while the winners shoot and bomb the losers, who must sprint and climb to the goal.
Competitors running the obstacle course try to collect coins while avoiding the onslaught from the winners, who earn coins for each hit on the losers. Make it to the end of the obstacle course to keep any winnings, then spend that collected cash in an interactive intermission on items that can increase speed, boost climbing stamina, and increase the winners’ firepower. This between-round lobby also has extra coins to collect, with more valuable currency in harder-to-reach spots.
Up to 30 contestants can participate in online multiplayer matches in the two game modes. In Survival Mode, choose the right answers and make it to the end of each round, trying to be the last contender standing. Bounty Hunter mode lets everyone compete with no eliminations, but earning coins becomes the focus, as the richest player at the end of four rounds is the winner!
The limited-time playtest, designed to help test servers ahead of release later this year, features two sessions: one on Friday, 7 May from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT, and another Saturday, 8 May from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. PDT / 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. to 3 p.m CEST.
“We’re ready for the world to get a taste of Survival Quiz City, and look forward to letting people try out the most intense quiz show ever,” said Yusuke Shigeta, Survival Quiz City Director at BANDAI NAMCO Studios. “Please share your feedback with us on Steam as we continue our work on the game!”
Survival Quiz City will be available on Steam Windows PC later this year, and the playtest will have support for English and Japanese text.
Established in 2019 by industry veterans, Phoenixx aims to support innovative and creative developers from Japan and around the world. Its mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one creator, one game, and one community a time.
BANDAI NAMCO Studios was established in 2012 as a spin-off from BANDAI NAMCO Games Inc. (currently BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.) and is engaged in the planning, development, and operation of video games, mobile content, and PC content. In addition, they have established local subsidiaries in Singapore and Malaysia, and are working to train creators and build a development system that can be used globally.
Your chance to pilot cutting-edge experimental war planes begins today as ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN’s “Experimental Aircraft Series” DLC has finally landed. This latest DLC package features three cutting-edge combat aircraft including:
Three playable aircraft:
F-15 S/MTD (The Boeing Company)
F-16XL (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
FB-22 Strike Raptor (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
All three experimental aircraft feature enhanced performance and attack capabilities.
In addition to these three aircraft, new skins and emblems of enemy pilots and rival units from storied ACE COMBAT chapters of the past will be included in the “Experimental Aircraft Series” DLC package, including:
10 new enemy/rival unit aircraft skins:
CFA-44 Butterfly Master Skin
A-10A Varcolac Skin
MiG-21bis Huckebein Skin
YF-23 Z.O.E.Skin
MiG-29 RedMoon Skin
Su-35S Markov Skin
Su-37 Markov Skin
Su-33 Strigon Skin
Su-47 Grabacr Skin
Su-37 Ofnir Skin
10 new emblems will be made available, including:
Four types of Nuggets emblems to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ACE COMBAT series
Six types of series emblems such as “Albireo” and “Beast”
Set your autopilot coordinates and head to the following YouTube link (ready for embedding) to see these three aircraft ply their deadly combat abilities upon enemy aircraft
As the name implies Disco Elysium: The Final Cutis the version of the gritty psychological detective game the developers envisioned. Some content has been rescued from the cutting room floor, and some are new to game. Players will be able to enjoy full voice acting, new side quests, console support, and some smaller quality of life features. While the game is out on consoles for the first time, PC players who already own the original game will get a free upgrade.
Story
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut has an interesting take on character development. Instead of emphasizing the interaction between characters, the game focusing heavily on the player moulding their character. The format works well as the player character is a completely blank slate after waking up with amnesia due to a hard night of drinking. The inner dialogue is where players will establish their character’s personality and world view. The inner dialogue is interesting and provides players a lot of options that breaks out of the standard binary of good and bad moral decisions. Instead, it’s a good mix of moral, social, and political outlooks on life.
The lore is excellent. It is an incredibly rich world, and the developers take every opportunity to let players learn about the bleak world of Revalchol. The sheer volume can be a little intense, but almost all of it is optional for those who prefer to focus on the story.
Gameplay
Disco Elysium: Final Cut is an RPG that is reminiscent of low to no combat tabletop RPGs. It’s a refreshing break from the standard RPG convention where players are generally expected to hack and slash their way through the world with social interaction and diplomacy as an afterthought or an occasional alternative. Having players punch their way through is a perfectly valid tactic, but there’s no combat system in sight. Instead, everything works on a skill check system where players roll dice with their bonuses and penalties to see the result. The game is extremely clear about the percent chance of success, which is helpful for those of us who just can’t do math on the fly.
The skill system is excellent. To start off, players can choose one of three pre-made personalities representing a set of skills or create their own. Skills are categorized under four ability types corresponding to four main approaches players can take to solve problems in game. Equipment and the Thought Cabinet can offer additional skill buffs and penalties, which can help bridge the gap for players struggling with certain rolls. Everything is well organized, and the skills chosen for checks are usually appropriate for the context. The only downside is the sheer number of skills can be a little overwhelming at times, especially in the beginning.
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut handles time in an innovative manner. The game puts a time pressure on the player as it is set over the span of multiple days. As characters only have a limited number of hours in a day to conduct their investigation, players do have to prioritize what side quests they feel is worth their time investigating; however, time only moves forward when the player interacts with someone. The mechanic gives players the freedom to run around town for as long as they need without worrying about becoming lost or preventing them from experimenting with ways to enter inaccessible areas.
The mission design is strong. All missions have a variety of solutions, and some solutions are incredibly crafty. There are also a ton of side missions to keep players busy. It feels like there’s too many side missions for most players to tackle on their first playthrough; but between the number of side missions and the branching storylines, there’s plenty of reasons for players to play a second run through. My only gripe is it isn’t always clear which missions can can’t be completed on that day. Some are marked with a clock icon, while others are not.
The controls are excellent. Fans of point and click adventures and isometric RPGs will be right at home. The developers added a key to highlight all interactable objects which is a necessary quality of life feature considering there are a lot of points of interest. The new version introduced controller support as the game is now on consoles. While the genre is better suited for the accuracy of mouse and keyboard, the controller support is an excellent attempt at a tricky situation. I frankly couldn’t come up with a more efficient system if I tried.
Visuals
The developers have done an excellent job with Disco Elysium: The Final Cut’s visual style. The world is a beautiful mix of a painting aesthetic and with a slightly more realistic touch. When it comes to load screens and character portraits, the developers fully commit to the painting aesthetic. The result is a visually distinct style that contrasts nicely with the rundown environment of Revachol.
Audio
The game offers a solid soundtrack. It’s generally low key and moody, complimenting the investigation nicely. Yet when necessary, the composer does a good job picking up the pace without going overboard. The voice acting is the real star of the show, as it’s addition is one of the main features of The Final Cut. Without a doubt, the voice acting was worth the wait. The actors are almost all solid, and the actor who plays the player character’s inner voice is absolutely fantastic. The voice acting really takes the game to a whole new level.
Overall
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is clearly the game the developers wanted to release, and I’m thrilled to see they finally had the chance to do it. The game offers excellent storytelling, novel character development, and an excellent non to low combat option for people looking for something out of the ordinary. Combined with the fantastic new voice acting, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut sets a new bar for expanded versions of games.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
One single to be released every week to unveil an exciting new story, beginning today!
(April 28, 2021) To celebrate National Superhero Day today, beloved preschool superheroes PJ Masks continue their musical exploits with their fourth album “PJ Power Up” via eOne, Hasbro’s global entertainment studio, and producers Pure West. The album follows an episodic story, and while each single works as a standalone song, kids can tune into the next song to follow along with the adventure. The album kicks-off with today’s release of the track “Shine on Everyone.” An additional single will be released every consecutive Wednesday, with the single “Shout Hooray,” completing the album with its June 9th conclusion. The first three PJ Masks albums, “Heroes Forever,” “Here We Come” and “Time to Be a Hero! (Original Cast Recording) (Live)” have amassed over 200 million streams across DSPs globally.
PJ Masks is the ultimate superhero show for pre-school children, following the adventures of Catboy, Owlette and Gekko. The show airs in 150+ territories on Disney Junior and is available to stream globally on Netflix and Disney+. The lively and popular PJ Masks apps have 137+ million downloads globally.
PJ Power Up Tracks and Release Dates:
4/28 Shine on Everyone 5/5 Time to be a Hero 5/12 Go Cat Co 5/19 Let’s Fly 5/26 Lizard Machine 6/2 Steal the Night 6/9 Shout Hooray
Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) is a talent-driven independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. As part of global play and entertainment company Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), eOne’s expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales; family programming, merchandising and licensing; digital content; and live entertainment. Through its extensive reach and scale, and a deep commitment to high-quality entertainment, eOne unlocks the power and value of creativity.
eOne brings to market both original and existing content, sourcing IP from Hasbro’s portfolio of 1500+ brands, and through a diversified network of creative partners and eOne companies including: international feature film distribution company Sierra/Affinity; Amblin Partners with DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; Makeready with Brad Weston; unscripted television production companies Renegade 83, Daisybeck, Blackfin and Whizz Kid Entertainment; live entertainment leaders Round Room Live; world-class music companies Audio Network, Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning emerging content and technology studio Secret Location.
Systemic Reaction’s Co-op Dino Shooter Second Extinction Is Now Available on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One & PC
Play the newest Enforcer and take on new challenges with today’s free Pre-Season 4 update on all platforms
STOCKHOLM — April 28, 2021 — Systemic Reaction has released the intense co-op first-person shooter Second Extinction on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Microsoft Store for PC today via Xbox Game Preview for $24.99. The game is also available to download for free through Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Players can experience Second Extinction on Xbox Series X at 4K|60 FPS, as well as on mobile devices via xCloud. Xbox and Microsoft Store players get full access to all content available in Second Extinction through Steam Early Access going forward, starting today with the launch of the new Pre-season 4 update on all platforms.
Today’s Pre-Season 4 update introduces:
New Playable Character — Jack: A new Enforcer joins the fight. Voiced by Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones), Jack is the ultimate team player, charging headfirst into danger.
New Tutorial: A perfect way for new players to dive in. You’ll be slaying dinos in no time!
Season Contracts: Complete new challenges across the map and reap the prizes.
New Rewards: Earn shiny new cosmetics, nameplates and more to celebrate your victories.
Second Extinction pits teams of up to three players against swarms of bloodthirsty dinos in fast-paced battles across Earth’s post-apocalyptic wastelands. Equip a range of uniquely powerful weapons and abilities and fight on your own or with friends against monstrous dinosaurs long thought extinct — now mutated and deadlier than ever! The War Effort is Second Extinction’s community-driven global metagame: by completing missions and activities around the world, you’ll directly impact the threat level and challenges players face.
Second Extinction first debuted on Steam Early Access last fall. Since then, the game has continued to grow with frequent content updates guided by community feedback, introducing new weapons, challenges, dino mutations, War Effort emergence events, gameplay improvements and more.
Small but fierce, we started as a group of veterans from within Avalanche Studios Group. Based in Stockholm and Malmö, we focus on crafting new and empowering games with unique settings. Drawing from our experiences within the industry, we want to create games that appeal both to us, and to you — our players. We want to play in a sandbox that lets your creativity thrive.
Our focus is freedom, exploration, and a drive to create games like the ones that kept us up at night as kids. We’ve got Generation Zero launched and Second Extinction on Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access — with even more to come. Join us in the sandbox!
