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Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder Update Sets Sail with a Boatload of Summer Swag and Style

Philip Federico
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Tripwire Interactive Starts Summer with Stylish Space Pirate Loot, New Weapons, and Chic Zeds

ROSWELL, Ga. — Monday, June 8 — Publisher and developer Tripwire Interactive invites players to walk the plank in the Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder update, out later today for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X, and PC via Steam. This update marks summer’s return with out of this world cosmetics, new map, new weapons, and summer-themed enemies.

Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder docks today with the new featured community map, Desolation; in this new map, players can look forward to exploring the surprises and multiple levels of the facility across Killing Floor 2’s popular game modes. Also arriving on shore are returning summer zeds and brand-new Matriarch seasonal summer variants. Players can face these stylish summer fiends with two new weapons: the HRG Kaboomstick for the Demolitionist and the HRG Telauncher for the Berserker.

Today’s launch of the Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder update follows a longtime tradition of providing new maps, weapons, and notable free content updates since Killing Floor 2 first launched!

Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder update highlights include:

New Map

  • Desolation – New Featured Community Map
  • Supports survival, endless, weekly, and V.S. game modes
  • Contains optional mini-games

Weapons

  • 2 New HRG Weapons:
  • HRG Kaboomstick – Demolitionist
  • HRG Telauncher – Berserker

Cosmetics:

  • New Space Pirate Themed Cosmetics
  • Added to Summer Sideshow Seasonal Ticket Drops
  • Includes hats, masks, arm bands, backpacks, helmets, and more
  • Returning Vault skins
  • Five Vault Stars themed weapon skins return
  • Space Pirate Outfit – available for purchase
  • Male or female
  • Five additional texture variants, including hat and mask accessories

Enemies:

  • Brand new Matriarch summer variations
  • Returning summer zeds

Additionally, Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder brings back premium sideshow tickets, the Neon MKVI skin bundle, The Retro Neon Gear Bundle, and The Future Neon Gear Bundle – as well as two brand-new weapons for purchase: the Single and Dual Glock 18 for the Gunslinger and the Blunderbuss for the Support. Both new paid weapon DLCs come with 5 unique skins.

For full details on the Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder update, head to Tripwire Interactive’s Forums here.

To celebrate the launch of Killing Floor 2: Perilous Plunder, Tripwire Interactive will be sharing news about various digital sale offers via Facebook and Twitter. So be sure to keep an eye on Killing Floor 2 social sites for news on the latest promotions running over the course of the summer event!

In Killing Floor 2, players descend into continental Europe where the outbreak caused by Horzine Biotech’s failed experiment has quickly spread and gained unstoppable momentum, essentially paralyzing the European Union— Just one month after the events in the original KILLING FLOOR, the specimen clones are everywhere and civilization is in disarray; communications have failed, governments have collapsed, and military forces have been systematically eradicated. The people of Europe know survival and self-preservation too well and lucky survivors have gone into hiding.

Not all have given up hope though… A group of civilians and mercenaries have banded together to combat the outbreak and established privately funded operation bases across Europe. Upon tracking specimen clone outbreaks, players will descend into zed-laden hot zones and exterminate them.

Killing Floor 2 is developed and published by Tripwire Interactive and is published at retail by Deep Silver and Iceberg Interactive for the Xbox One, Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 Pro, PlayStation®4, and PC. This title has been rated M by the ESRB, PEGI 18, USK 18.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Killing Floor 2 news and information onthe official website. You can also keep track of Tripwire Interactive by visiting the official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Tripwire Interactive

Formed in 2005 as a humble independent developer and founded by gamers who found success in the video game modding community, Tripwire Interactive has developed and self-published multiple critically acclaimed titles in the wildly popular Killing Floor and Rising Storm franchises, which have collectively sold over 20 million units to date. The studio’s most recent hit release, Maneater, breaks new ground in the popular action RPG genre and finds players taking on the role of a deadly shark with the uncanny ability to evolve as it feeds.

Since then, Tripwire Interactive has expanded its business and now turns its experience and resources to include publishing titles spanning multiple platforms and genres from other talented independent studios. The publishing division named “Tripwire Presents” aims to help like-minded independent studios bring their titles to market, including Chivalry 2 developed by Torn Banner Studios, Espire 1: VR Operative developed by Digital Lode, and Road Redemption developed by EQ Games and Pixel Dash Studios.

Killing Floor©2009-2018 Tripwire Interactive. Killing Floor® is a registered trademark of Tripwire Interactive in the USA and other countries.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

“Xbox” is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

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Alwa’s Legacy begins! Arriving on June 17th to Steam & GOG

Philip Federico
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A modern take on a classic adventure

Gothenburg, Sweden – June 8th, 2020 – Indie developer Elden Pixels has announced that Alwa’s Legacy, the successor to the critically acclaimed 8-bit inspired platformer Alwa’s Awakening, is launching on Steam & GOG on June 17th for £13.99 / $17.99 / €14.99; with the Nintendo Switch launch soon to follow. 

After saving the land of Alwa following the events of the first game, Zoe is about to embark on her quest home. However, upon waking up she finds herself at the beginning of her adventure with the world feeling disparate yet familiar. In order to return home, she will need to help the inhabitants of this mysterious land and save it yet again from the mysterious curse it appears to be under. 

Using Zoe’s magic staff, players must negotiate the land of Alwa to solve perilous puzzles and fend off monsters. New items and a character upgrade system allows you to craft your individual playstyle, centred on an offensive, defensive or explorative skillset. Using magical upgrades, novel pathways can be found as you explore the nonlinear interconnected world by summoning blocks to climb on, bubbles to bounce off of, and lightning bolts to attack with. Quick reflexes are needed to traverse challenging rooms while avoiding booby traps and pitfalls. Along this adventure, you will meet all manner of interesting characters, comb through dangerous dungeons, and uncover incredible secrets as you attempt to save the land from extinction. 

Alwa’s Legacy honours the past with it’s thoroughly contemporary take on the metroidvania genre – full of puzzles to solve, dungeons to explore, magical items to acquire and ancient secrets to discover. Varnished with it’s 16-bit inspired visuals, mixing classical pixel art aesthetics with new visual flourishes such as a realistic lighting system and modern game design principles, Alwa’s Legacy offers a timeless play experience.

This is Elden Pixels’ second game after their homage to classic 8-bit platforming adventures, Alwa’s Awakening, which received rave reviews from the likes of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Nintendo World Report, and Nintendo Enthusiast. Fans were so enthused by it that Alwa’s Legacy was funded on Kickstarter with 924 backers offering SEK 250,000 to see its production come to fruition. Though set in the same world with the same protagonist, Alwa’s Legacy is not a direct sequel to Alwa’s Awakening, but rather a standalone experience which can be enjoyed separately.

“The decision to go full time into game development to make a sequel to Alwa’s Awakening has been very satisfying. Alwa’s Legacy is the great game we’ve always wanted to make with it’s diverse skill tree, expansive level design and gorgeous 16-bit style graphics,” said Mikael Forslind, Game Designer for Elden Pixels. “We’ve put everything into making Alwa’s Legacy the best it can be. We can’t wait for the fans to get their hands on it after all their support.”

Join our Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/65Y8YRN
Visit the Elden Pixels website: https://eldenpixels.com/
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EldenPixels
Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/EldenPixels

About Elden Pixels
Elden Pixels was founded in 2016 when a group of friends got together and started making the game Alwa’s Awakening. What started just like a small side project eventually turned into a real studio when the game became successful. Now the goal is to create fun, creative and cool games with a focus on gameplay.

‘Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm’ Rekindles Adventure on Apple Arcade

Philip Federico
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Major update brings two new expansions, quality of life improvements and more!

Helsinki, Finland — June 8th, 2020 — Independent developer Cornfox & Brothers today announced that The Golden Edition for their action fantasy RPG, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, is now available on Apple Arcade for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. The biggest update since its exclusive iOS release in 2019 sees improvements in everything from performance and graphics to game mechanics and level design, as well as new content additions. 

“We’re streamlining and enhancing the play experience dramatically with this update in addition to expanding with new content,” said Heikki Repo, Creative Director of Cornfox & Brothers. “The Golden Edition of Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is, essentially, the best and most approachable version of the game. And we have more to come, so enjoy The Golden Edition and stay tuned!”

The Golden Edition brings two expansions: The Shield of Chronos, which adds a new quest, a new dungeon as well as a shield that deflects projectiles, and The Criminal Hunt, bearing a series of mini side quests tasking players to chase down bandits such as Sir Stingalot and Baron Slimethorn. Additionally, as per community request, Cornfox & Brothers have expanded the game’s ending with never-before-seen scenes, intertwining both Oceanhorn chapters. Lastly, Oceanhorn 2 receives a slew of Quality of Life improvements and bug fixes, including an optional 60fps mode, a stunning new physics-based water simulation, overhauled menus, improved gameplay communication, new spoken dialog, and fresh music.

Prequel to the acclaimed Oceanhorn: Monsters of Uncharted Seas,Oceanhorn 2 follows the adventures of a young Knight who sets out on a magical journey across vast regions of Gaia to defend the lands and people of Arcadia from Warlock Mesmeroth’s Dark Army. This time, the protagonist is joined by two other characters – Trin, the granddaughter of Arcadia’s leader Archimedes, and Gen, a mysterious robot wielding an old Samurai weapon. Players control characters with contextual commands during tactical battles and puzzle-solving. Featuring gorgeous Zelda-esque visuals, Oceanhorn 2 offers open-world exploration, hack ‘n slash combat, and a variety of puzzles and quests that amass into a polished 20-hour action-filled RPG adventure, currently available on Apple Arcade. 

For more information about Oceanhorn 2, check out:

Official website: https://www.oceanhorn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oceanhorn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cornfox

About Cornfox & Brothers
Founded in 2010 by brothers Jukka & Antti Viljamaa and Heikki Repo, Cornfox & Brothers is a Finnish-based independent game developer with a passion for delivering memorable, story-driven experiences for gamers of all kind, and on all platforms. The team is mostly known for the acclaimed adventure RPG Oceanhorn franchise that has been nominated for and won several awards globally. For more information, visit: https://www.cornfox.com

Shantae and the Seven Sirens Review

Travis Bruno
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Shantae and the Seven Sirens Review

Shantae and the Seven Sirens

Developer: WayForward
Publisher: WayForward
Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, PC, Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $29.99 USD – Available Here

Overview

There are many different ways to announce a game and when it comes to Shantae and the Seven Sirens, many were a bit perplexed. Not only would the game be released in two parts, but the first part would only be available through the Apple Arcade as part of a launch promotion only for the rest to launch on the Apple store in March, leaving many of us left waiting until the final full release on consoles. So, while this journey may have been a bit of an odd one, it isn’t too unusual for the Shantae franchise over the years and now that it has finally danced its way onto consoles, is it worth picking up?

Story

After the life-changing events that happened in Half-Genie Hero, Shantae and her friends are due for a break and they have been invited to the tropical “Arena Island” paradise for a vacation with only one caveat; that Shantae participate in the half-genie festival that the town is holding. After being quickly convinced by Sky, Bolo, and even Mimic, Shantae meets with the town’s mayor and is introduced to five new half-genies, all of which have their own unique form of magic, who will also be participating in the dance festival. 

During an evening practice the rest of the half-genies mysteriously vanish and leave Shantae as the sole guardian capable of uncovering the mysteries of the island and trying to rescue her newfound friends, though with the appearance of Risky Boots and mentions of a true treasure being hidden away, things may not be quite as they seem. 

Shantae and the Seven Sirens feels like it is at a bit of a crossroads. Fans of the franchise have a chance to see all of their favorite characters return for a new journey in a brand new location as well as the addition of a great number of likable seeming allies in the form of the new half-genies but unfortunately many of them really don’t get a chance to shine or even develop much of a personality beyond simply existing as a goal and a way to give Shantae new dance power-ups and the new location only serves as the best way to deliver the new mystery and the source of the Sirens that players will be facing off against.

This means that while the signature brand of humor and writing is still there for what character interactions there are, especially for Shantae who continues to shine in nearly every conversation she has, the new characters really don’t have a lot going for them which is extremely unfortunate. In fact, a certain fan favorite barely plays a role in the game as a whole and even the boss battles lack the type of impact that previous games have had, with most confrontations beginning and ending with little to no fanfare which is quite disappointing and results in a narrative that has some of the charm that fans have come to love but doesn’t capitalize on any of its new characters or even most of its returning cast. 

Gameplay

For Shantae and the Seven Sirens the series takes a return back to its Metroidvania roots where the entire game takes place over the course of a single map with dungeon-like areas placed at the end of most paths. Players will gain access to more areas as they progress through the story unlocking additional powers for Shantae that can be used to open up paths that were either previously untraversable or were blocked in some manner all while taking down a variety of enemies that are standing in the way with a mixture of hair-whips and magic. All this is done with tight controls and new extremely fluid transformations that make navigating areas a breeze.

As usual, most sub-weapons (that require magic to utilize) that Shantae will use in combat comes from stores that also provide various boosts to her hair whip attack, such as increasing its attack power and speed, though most of these spells will be very familiar to fans of the franchise as nearly all of them are returning from previous entries. The real special abilities that Shantae unlocks as the player makes their way through the game come in the form of Fusions that allow her to transform into various small animals to navigate the environment in various ways. This includes things such as having to transform into a newt to climb walls, a turtle to dive, and more. 

The game’s layout works fairly well in pacing out progression to give players a small sample of what to expect from the exploration abilities while traversing through the dungeon they obtain them in, though remembering the exact locations of certain secrets in the main map will be a bit more difficult. This is primarily due to the fact that, while the game map does show where players have been and if there are entrances they haven’t traveled through, any caves where hidden items may be or other previously unreachable secrets, be they heart squids that can be traded for an increased health bar or saved for other reasons or nuggets that can be traded for boss cards, are not marked down which is rather unfortunate given the eventual size of the map and sparsity of fast travel platforms. 

The other core ability that Shantae will unlock throughout the game happens to be special dance magic that utilizes the abilities of the other half-genies that the player has rescued so far. These dances serve as both a method of progression as well as a way to help Shantae defeat her foes since they can end up being incredibly powerful to the point that the game rarely feels like a challenge. This is also due to the fact that, while the dungeons are a real highlight that see a mixture of solid puzzle design and navigation, most of the combat and platforming is fairly simplistic at best and even boss battle tend to be rather simple in nature with only a couple of bosses requiring some unique thinking to defeat.

Now earlier there was mention of cards and that also happens to be a way that Shantae can grow stronger and be customized a bit to best fit the player’s style. Whenever a standard enemy is defeated they have a chance to drop a card that, when a certain number is obtained, can be equipped to provide various boosts. Three of these cards can be equipped at a time and they can range from simply allowing Shantae to crawl a little quicker to regenerating magic to avoiding any damage from falling into a pit, giving players an advantage that can be customized to their liking. 

Visuals & Audio

One of the first things that players will notice is that WayForward has decided to give Shantae and the Seven Sirens a bit of extra love here and there as the company has teamed with Studio Trigger to produce not only an opening video for the game but a number of short cutscenes that play throughout the story to introduce key plot points and boss fights. These animations are short but gorgeously presented and hold up incredibly well to the bright and colorful art style used with the in-game world. The character sprites remain as detailed as ever with the new characters and bosses given gorgeously drawn designs that really stand out here.

As far as the soundtrack goes, it is worth noting that the series’ longtime composer Jake Kaufman was not able to return to work on the background music for the game but thankfully the songs haven’t seen too much of a drop in quality with the new team taking over. The chiptune background music remains fairly catchy, especially in regards to major confrontations, though there are a few that really lack any type of impact which may be the biggest sign of his absence. It is also worth noting that this entry also happens to feature perhaps the most voice work in the series so far thanks to the animated cutscenes seeing many characters talking for short bursts and of course providing bits of dialogue here and there during story moments and it is nice to note that all of this voice work is not only handled quite well but nearly all of the voice actors have returned to reprise their roles.

Overall

Shantae and the Seven Sirens may not have the longest run-time, as it clocks in at around eight hours roughly but the enticing New Game+ option and the blast that one can have while playing makes it easy to jump back in to make another run and maybe aim for a faster time. While the story could have been given some more attention, especially in regards to the new characters and location, and things are a bit easier than one would hope, Shantae and the Seven Sirens delivers satisfying dungeon exploration and solid boss battles all wrapped up in a gorgeous looking package.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

‘COOK, SERVE, DELICIOUS! 3?!’ 1.0 LAUNCHES FALL 2020 FOR PC, PS4, SWITCH, AND XBOX ONE

Philip Federico
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Concluding Chapter in Intense Restaurant Management Trilogy Exiting Early Access

June 5th, 2020 — Vertigo Gaming Inc. is excited to announce the latest title in its million-seller restaurant management series Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! will exit Early Access this Fall to fully launch for $19.99 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One consoles as well as Windows PC via Steam and GOG.

The latest Early Access update for Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?! — Davidson County — also rolls out today that includes 40 new levels, two new foodtruck attacks, plus new features and improvements!

To celebrate the announcement and update release, all three Cook, Serve, Delicious! games are on sale as part of today’s Steam Daily Deal — Cook, Serve, Delicious! and Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! are 75% off and Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is 25% now through 1:00p Eastern Time on Sunday, June 7th — purchase individually or all together in The Mouth-Watering Trilogy bundle!

About Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!

Hit the road in this massive sequel and travel across war-torn America to participate in the Iron Cook National Food Truck Championships with your trusty robot crew Whisk — voiced by negaoryx — and Cleaver — voiced by Havana Mahoney. Set in the radically-changed USA of 2042, play through the all new story-driven campaign where you cook hundreds of foods — including many brand new to the series — across hundreds of levels in a new gameplay structure that has been completely redesigned to deliver fast paced action, or take it easy with the all new Chill Mode that can be toggled on or off at any time!

Play through the campaign via single player or with a friend in local co-op (with the ability to change on the fly), upgrade your food truck with dozens of gameplay-affecting modules, expand your food catalog, and race to the nation’s new capital in Nashville, Tennessee, to prove once and for all that you’re still the best chef in the world.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is available now for $14.99 in Steam Early Access — touting an Overwhelming Positive rating of 98% from more than 500 user reviews — and GOG for Windows PC. For updates and release notifications, subscribe to Vertigo Gaming Inc.’s newsletter or add CSD3 to your wishlist on Steam.

About Vertigo Gaming Inc.

Vertigo Gaming Inc. has been in the business of making games for two decades, including popular puzzle games such as The Oil Blue and The Sandbox of God, as well the incredibly successful hardcore cooking sim games Cook, Serve, Delicious! and its sequel, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! The company is currently developing Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! — continuing its tradition of creating fun, engaging, and addicting gameplay for gamers of all demographics.

©️2020 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. “PlayStation”, “PlayStation Family Mark”, and “PS4” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.

Cyberpunk music galore in Haxity!

Philip Federico
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Great line-up of Dark Synth Cyberpunk artists announced for Deck-builder Game – Artists include Misanthropix, Cyberthing!, Occams Laser, Vector Seven and Neon Ranger – Playlist available now

NORWAY – June 5th, 2020. – Megapop is proud to reveal the line-up of artists which contributes to Haxity’s cyberpunk score! In an international collaboration, the best Dark Synth artists from US, Brazil, Hungary, Germany and the UK are each setting their unique impression on Haxity.

Misanthropix, Cyberthing!, Occams Laser, Vector Seven and Neon Ranger may not be on everyones radar, but it’s a perfect score for a game like Haxity.

Erlend Kirkebø, Game Producer of Haxity, explains: ‘During the development of Haxity we read and watched a lot of the great classic cyberpunk fiction, but we also listened a lot to synthwave music for inspiration. At some point we asked: “What if we actually use the synthwave music we listen to, and actually try get music from some of these artists into our game?’

‘We first contacted Misanthropix, an artist from Brazil, his strong and dark electronic beats really went hand in hand with the punch and fighting game feeling of Haxity. He was helpful to let us test his music in the game, and the feedback we got from it was great! We soon reached out to more artists and figured out the sub-genre of dark synth was really the place for us to be,’ he continues.

The first selection of collaborations for Haxity music includes:

  • Misanthropix: Brazil based artist, “Dark electronic against humans”. His dark beats have a strong punch and drive to it, perfect for turning on the fighting mode for Haxity. 
  • Cyberthing!: California based with dark-synth music inspired by the 80s action, horror and sci-fi. His music has a gritty, tense and somewhat “rusty” feeling to it, making it perfect to match the world of Haxity, where the streets are gritty.
  • Occams Laser: British music producer, 80s horrors mixed with cyberpunk and modern electronics. His music has a darker and more “occult” feeling to it, setting a nice tone to the fate of many of the characters in Haxity, with darkness looming over them.
  • Vector Seven: “Music from a dystopian future” describes his music. Producer from Germany, Vector Seven brings certain industrial element to Haxity playlist that everyone will enjoy, matching the dystopian setting of Haxity run by mega-corporations.
  • Neon Ranger: Hungary based artist, producing music for films, TV, and games under the label of Titan Slayer. His music is used for both Haxity trailer and in the opening scene of the game. He has a distinct unique beat that really sets the mood perfectly for Haxity.

If you want more details about the artist behind Haxity music heads up to Haxity Website and you can listen all the included tracks in Haxity official playlist at Spotify

  • Follow Haxity on INSTAGRAM, TWITTER or FACEBOOK.  
  • Check out the HAXITY WEBSITE  
  • Watch the announcement trailer on YOUTUBE 
  • Discuss Haxity with Megapop on DISCORD and REDDIT.
  • Wishlist us on our STEAM page

BAKU BECKONS FOR THE LATEST F1® 2020 HOT LAP AHEAD OF VIRTUAL GRAND PRIX

Philip Federico
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Codemasters® today reveals the latest circuit to feature from F1® 2020’s hot lap series. Ahead of this weekend’s Virtual Grand Prix at the same location, the lap, on Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit, was recorded by the F1® 2020 development team and features Antonio Giovinazzi in his vibrant Alfa Romeo. The video can be viewed here

Since its addition to the racing calendar in 2016, the tricky city circuit has quickly become a fan-favourite. Sparing no shortage of nail-biting moments right from the off with a tight turn one left-hander, drivers must navigate the high-risk, big-reward castle corner and accompanying blind ascent. Players must also master turn 15 before the long hairpin and even longer start/finish straight.

This Sunday, June 7, F1® drivers Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly make their Virtual Grand Prix debuts on F1® 2019. Returning once again are Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, Nicholas Latifi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and – fresh from his back-to-back victories at Monaco and Spain – George Russell. Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte will also be taking to the track, as will AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, rally biker Matthias Walkner, and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – his fourth Virtual Grand Prix appearance. The live broadcast starts at 6pm BST (3am AEST) on the official Formula 1® YouTube, Twitch, Weibo, and Facebook channels alongside several international broadcast partners.

F1® 2020 will be released on Friday 10 July 2020 for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, Windows PC (via Steam), and Google Stadia. Players who purchase the Michael Schumacher Deluxe Edition will receive exclusive content and three days early access.

For future news and details on all the new features follow Formula 1 game website and social channels on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

# ENDS #

ABOUT CODEMASTERS:

Codemasters (AIM:CDM) is an award-winning British video game developer and publisher with over 30 years of heritage. The company specialises in high-quality racing games including DiRT, GRID, and the BAFTA award-winning official F1® series of videogames.

In November 2019 Codemasters acquired Slightly Mad Studios, creators and developers of award-winning IP including the Project CARS franchise.

For more information on Codemasters’ product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters.

F1 2020 Game – an official product of the FIA Formula One World Championship. © 2020 The Codemasters Software Company Limited (“Codemasters”). All rights reserved. “Codemasters” ®, “EGO” ® and the Codemasters logo are registered trade marks owned by Codemasters. “RaceNet” ™ is a trade mark of Codemasters.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, F1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula 1 company. © 2020 Cover images Formula One World Championship Limited, a Formula 1 company. Licensed by Formula One World Championship Limited. The F2 FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP logo, FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP, FIA FORMULA 2, FORMULA 2, F2 and related marks are trade marks of the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile and used exclusively under licence.  All rights reserved.

All other copyrights or trade marks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. Developed and published by Codemasters.

Sludge Life Review

Jamie Laike Tsui
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Sludge Life Review

Sludge Life

Developer: Terri Vellmann, Doseone
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platform: PC
Release Date: 28 May 2020
Price: Free – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

Sludge Life is a quirky and surreal exploration game set on an island of junk and pollution. Players take on the role of GHOST, an up and coming graffiti artist. GHOST will explore the island to discover large blank canvases to tag and display their work to the world while meeting the island’s odd inhabitants.

Story

Sludge Life does not have a moving plot but rather a snapshot of a surreal and weird world. Players can talk to almost everyone on the island. From these conversations, players can sketch out what is going on at the moment: the problems that plague the people, the troubles of the island, and some mundane everyday concerns.

The game is ripe for social and political commentary considering the polluted world, the heavy corporate branding, and the tradition of graffiti as counter-culture. While there are some nods, the game feels like a wasted opportunity overall as GHOST’s interaction with other characters is almost exclusively with other taggers discussing GHOST’s work and getting smacked for talking to security. While there is nothing wrong with focusing on a purely surreal world to create a relaxing atmosphere, Sludge Life seems to dip its toe in the pool of commentary without bothering to jump in and give it the attention it deserves.

Gameplay

Sludge Life is focused on relaxed exploration and jumping puzzles. Players are simply tasked with finding a hundred spots on the map to tag with their GHOST logo, and they may find one of three endings along the way. Many of the tag spots are out of reach, requiring some jumping skills, creativity, or special items to reach. The actual act of graffiti in Sludge Life is unfulfilling. Players hit the use key and the tag goes up with the obnoxious “GHOST” catchphrase played. While this is not the worst implementation, it is incredibly disappointing for a game focused so heavily on tagging.

There are also a variety of items to interact with on the island. Some seem purely aesthetic and others have more practical value. Most of the aesthetic items are run of the mill, but once in a while there is something special and creative. One of my favourite moments in the game was discovering stone blocks that could be carved into statues. Finding out what lay beneath the stone was like opening up a Kinder Surprise egg without the calories.

The game’s laptop was an enjoyable experiment in game menus. Instead of the traditional video game menu, the player is presented with a simple operating system. As players experience new things or find software discs, new programs are loaded into the laptop. Some are helpful, like the satellite map and others are entertaining, like the videogame all the characters are talking about.

The controls are okay. They work well enough for the most part but jumping and mantling can be finnicky at times. Navigating the options menu is a bit chaotic as each option has its own confirm button.

Visuals

Sludge Life has a lo-fi cell shaded style. The fancy graphical effects are minimal. In fact, the game exaggerates the aliasing effect for stylistic purposes. The character design has a memorable look reminiscent of an adult cartoon series. The world is focused on dark and muddy colours broken up with brightly coloured object and tags. Colours are used intelligently to draw players eyes to points of interest.

The default camera settings are a nightmare for those struggling with motion sickness. There is lots of camera shaking and an odd camera pan effect when the player moves around. Thankfully, the intensity of these effects can be controlled or disabled completely in the options.

Audio

The audio experience is okay. The game has a great soundtrack that can be heard on the radio around the island. It’s a shame I couldn’t find some sort of personal music player in game. On the other hand, the sound effects were good, but a touch on the repetitive side.

Overall

As a slow-paced exploration title, Sludge Life isn’t awful, but it isn’t good either. The world is visually interesting but completely forgettable as a setting. The tagging gameplay mechanic is unimaginative and wandering around looking for tagging spots can get boring after a while until players stumble onto the special items to help them progress faster through the game. While the soundtrack and visual style is great, the gameplay just doesn’t hold up.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

DIVE INTO THE GRANDE BOUCLE WITH PRO CYCLING MANAGER AND TOUR DE FRANCE 2020

Philip Federico
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Teams, races and game modes: the two cycling simulations unveil their content

Lesquin, France, June 4, 2020 – This summer, the most prestigious cycling competition will take place thanks to you! NACON and Cyanide are pleased to announced the release today of Pro Cycling Manager 2020 on PC and Tour de France 2020 on Xbox One et PlayStation®4. And for the first time, Tour de France 2020 will be available on PC, in August.

The official game of the Tour de France lets you play with the teams participating in the Grande Boucle with their official jerseys. Other invited teams will also be playable, including Circus-Wanty Gobert and Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles.

As well as the 21 stages of the Grande Boucle, many other official races are available in Tour de France 2020: the Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix – and for the first time – Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known as “The Old Lady”. Players can also create their own competitions in My Tour mode by selecting stages from those available.

In Pro Leader mode in Tour de France 2020, players can create their own cyclist, select their speciality and develop their skills over multiple seasons. In Pro Team mode, players take control of a whole team of cyclists: switch between teammates during races, devise strategies and recruit new cyclists. And for the first time, players can enable a first-person camera for unprecedented immersion and also experience a completely redesigned Time-Trial mode.

In Pro Cycling Manager 2020, players step into the shoes of a manager in its extensive Career mode. After choosing a team, players must manage their cyclists’ training, schedule races, invest in better equipment, find new talent to recruit, keep morale high, and sign contracts with new sponsors to increase their budget and improve race results against a combative AI.

The dashboard has been improved to provide better visibility, and an assistant manager is now available for the first time to help with planning the race schedule. Players can take part in over 230 races and 650 stages in Pro Cycling Manager 2020.

Pro Cycling Manager 2020 is now available on PC.
Tour de France 2020 is available on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. PC version will out in August.

Tour de France 2020 Steam page
Pro Cycling Manager 2020 Steam Page

About NACON
NACON is a company of the BIGBEN Group founded in 2019 to optimize its know-how through strong synergies in the video game market. By bringing together its 8 development studios, the publishing of AA video games, the design and distribution of premium gaming devices, NACON focuses 20 years of expertise at the service of players. This new unified business unit strengthens NACON’s position in the market, enables it to innovate by creating new unique competitive advantages and achieve its ambition to become one of the world’s leading players in gaming. https://www.nacongaming.com/

About Cyanide
Cyanide is a French video game development studio created in 2000 and based in Nanterre. It has two subsidiaries located in Montreal and Bordeaux. The studio is known for its sports games, such as the popular PC series Cycling Manager and its console version, Tour de France. Cyanide is also the author of Blood Bowl (Sport/Fantasy, 2009), the adaptation of the famous Games Workshop board game; Game of Thrones (RPG, 2012); Styx: Master of Shadows and the sequel Styx: Shards of Darkness (Infiltration, 2014/2017); and Call of Cthulhu, a game adapted from the tormented world of HP Lovecraft (investigative RPG, 2018). More information can be found at www.cyanide-studio.com.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Review

Admir Brkic
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Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Review

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath

Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 26 May 2020
Price: $39,99 USD – Available Here

Overview

With my Steam library containing a bit over 7000 games (nope, not an extra zero there), you can’t say that I’m exactly picky when it comes to games. Blame Steam sales and general boredom. Mortal Kombat 11 was one of those random purchases 6 months ago and it was a great example of “expecting nothing and getting a whole lot in the process”. As of right now, I’m close to 90 hours of playtime in Mortal Kombat 11 and it’s my go-to game when I don’t know what to play. It’s been more than a year since the release of it and recently some story content (with new playable characters) just dropped so let’s what’s that all about.

Story

The story in “Aftermath” continues directly after the events of the base game. The old baddie Shang Tsung (previously only available as a DLC fighter in Mortal Kombat 11) appears from a portal, warning about a great (and undefined) danger. Is he being genuine this time or is that story only a front for his diabolical schemes? Oh who are we kidding, it’s Shang Tsung. Of course, he will try to stab you in the back at first given opportunity. Beside him, we also get to play as Sindel (or Shao Khan, depending on choices) in story mode as well as Sheeva and Fujin. While the story of “Aftermath” ties a lot of loose ends from the main story, it is somewhat shorter (it only has 5 chapters) but it is an important part of the package if you care about the story and the lore of Mortal Kombat. While I won’t obviously say anything about the ending, I’ll tell you that you have the final say in how the “Aftermath” will end. No matter which of the two endings you choose, the story of the DLC does a good job of wrapping up the story of the main game as well as leaving us with a vague cliffhanger.

Gameplay

Besides the story update, the release of “Aftermath” also gave us some new stages, stage brutalities, friendship finishers, and a whole lot of balance fixes for the base game. Now, every recent release of Mortal Kombat had a diverse cast of characters where some of them didn’t even fit in the realm of the game(s) but were still a welcome addition to the roster. After Joker, Spawn, Alien Xenomorph, and Terminator, Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath unexpectedly gave us a playable RoboCop. Yep, you read that right. They even managed to get Petter Weller to record some original lines for the game. And while he may be a nice surprise for the roster, I still found myself playing more as Sheeva or Sindel (Spawn is still my DLC favorite character, though).

Visuals & Audio

There isn’t much to say that Travis already didn’t mention in his review of the main game regarding this part. It’s not like I expected any visual facelift with the release of this DLC, but the new character fatalities, stage brutalities, and silly friendship outros are a nice bonus. Fatalities for Sheeva and Fujin are particularly gruesome, including some later brutalities that are guaranteed to make you flinch. The price of the game (with DLC included) occupying a bit over 100 GB of your storage redeems itself with some great optimization, performance, and outstanding visuals. I can’t report anything new either when it comes to music., While I did notice some new themes in the new stages, I was also secretly hoping for a repeat of Battle Sirens by Tom Morello as it was featured in the first DLC trailer.

Overall

After the storage price, now let’s talk about something equally important in the whole story: the actual price. The “Aftermath” DLC came with a strong $39.99 USD price which personally I find hard to justify considering how short the story mode is. With only 5 chapters I’d even go as far as to consider it as an extended epilogue and having 3 new characters alone is seriously stretching it in the terms of value vs price. You’ get far more content (story-wise and character-wise) by purchasing a base game with a Kombat DLC pack. However, there is something good in all of that. If you still haven’t played Mortal Kombat 11, with the release of “Aftermath”, you can grab the base game + Kombat pack DLC + “Aftermath” package for only $59.99 USD. While it is a decent deal for potential new players of Mortal Kombat 11, it also means that the owners of the base game get the short end of the stick when it comes to price adjustment. In any case, with this new content in “Aftermath”, I’m sure I’ll have no trouble now passing way over 100 hours of playtime over the weekend. You’re all free to follow in my steps and hopefully see you in one of the new arenas.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

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