Whether you’re a bookworm, a master dueler, or a skilled alchemist, there is something for everyone in this fantasy life sim.
Seattle, WA, October 09, 2024 | Calling all witches, wizards, mages, and more! Whimel Academy, a cozy fantasy time manager, is out today on Steam. The game retails for $14.99 and will be 20% off for its first two weeks.
Invitation Accepted
Welcome to Whimel Academy! This renowned school for witches, wizards, and mages is ready to welcome you to its charming campus. Upon receiving your acceptance letter, prepare to embark on a six-year journey alongside your classmates. Acquaint yourself with your new home using the game’s tutorial, which showcases the campus map, time management mechanics, scholarship opportunities, and how to use your notebook as an in-game guide. Discover more about Whimel’s campus and student life by interacting with other students. You can befriend different characters you encounter throughout the game, and maybe you’ll develop a romantic connection. Your goal at Whimel Academy is simple: make the most out of your time on campus!
Finding Your Calling
Whimel Academy boasts an assortment of skills for players to develop, guaranteeing a customizable role-play experience. Choose from various beginning stats–such as knowledge, courage, persuasion, or creativity–and pursue classes and hobbies to develop your skills. Attend potion-making courses to boost your creativity, try Divination Fundamentals to strengthen your knowledge, or attend Flying 101 to put your courage to the test. Increasing your stats unlocks more advanced coursework for your designated course of study and additional dialogue options with your classmates. Different study opportunities and part-time work are available, so aligning these with your interests can further boost your expertise!
Weekend Plans
Outside of your coursework and social life, Whimel Academy includes several additional features to enrich your gameplay experience. Spend your weekends downtown, where you can exchange your earnings from part-time work for different items. Furnishings are available to decorate your dorm room, peruse books to add to your shelf, and purchase a cauldron to begin brewing your own potions. An easel and paints are available to sell artwork, and seedlings can be purchased and planted in the campus’s greenhouse. These plants make the perfect potion ingredients, so try different combinations to yield different results. Next time you’re downtown, sell your wares for higher quality paints and potion ingredients.
Gameplay Features:
Time-Mangement: Players must navigate their schedule wisely, balancing classes, extracurricular activities, friendships, and personal well-being.
Get Working: Earn an income through part-time work, or try crafting and selling your wares for profit! Purchase a cauldron to make your own brews, or grab an easel and paints!
Friendships Await: Forge meaningful connections with fellow students and explore platonic/romantic possibilities with Whimel’s multiple in-game characters.
Whimsical Worldbuilding: Immerse yourself in a charming fantasy world filled with delightful details, such as a yearly newspaper with a message from the Headmistress.
Green Thumb: Grow plants in the game’s greenhouse. Remember to water them and harvest these fresh potions and culinary ingredients.
A Place To Call Home: Use your part-time earnings to purchase new decorations for your dorm room, such as rugs, bookshelves, wall decor, and more.
Find Your Own Path: Tailor your character’s journey by focusing on your interests, leading to over thirty unique endings based on your decisions and accomplishments throughout the game.
An Approachable Adventure: Whimel Academy strives for inclusivity by featuring a diverse cast of characters and emphasizing personal well-being.
Whimel Academy’s Early Access is out now on Steam. Players can purchase the game now to take advantage of its 20% off launch discount. For updates, follow Impossible Home and Whimel Academyon Twitter or join the game’s Discord.
About Impossible Home
Impossible Home is a one-person (she/her) indie game studio based in the US. Its vision is to create wholesome worlds where anyone can feel immersed and relaxed.
The Stream will take place on the Backyards Sports Center official Twitch channel at 3 PM EST on Sunday, October 13th—just days after the launch of Backyard Baseball ‘97 on Steam—this virtual event promises to be a grand slam. It will feature an all-star lineup of special guests, including game developers, beloved content creators, and even some pro athletes ready to join the fun! Fans will have the chance to play classic Backyard Sports games online, interact with their favorite personalities, and enjoy exclusive giveaways throughout the stream.
Brought to life with an assortment of exciting interactives powered by Warp World’s Crowd Control extension, which lets viewers directly impact the action on the diamond, this event is poised to be a lively way to kick off the return of Backyard Sports while supporting a worthy cause.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Mega Cat Studios to add Livestream Interactivity to a generational classic like Backyard Baseball ’97”, shares Matthew Jakubowski, CEO of Crowd Control. “The magic of Crowd Control is all about revisiting our favorite games in a new way, and what a better way to celebrate that and the re-release of Backyard Baseball than by fundraising to such an important cause like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
“The Backyard Sports games have brought so many great people together, and we are so excited to celebrate this franchise while donating to a great cause,” said Jim Westerkamp, developer at BackyardSports.online. “My cats and bats are primed for the launch,” added James Deighan, founder and CEO of Mega Cat Studios.
Mark your calendars and gather your team for a day of gaming, laughter, and giving back. Join us on October 13th as we aim to knock childhood cancer out of the park!
Let’s make some noise for St. Jude and show that when we come together, we can make a difference. Don’t strike out on this opportunity to support a great cause—tune in, get involved, and let’s hit a home run for the kids!
ABOUT MEGA CAT STUDIOS
Founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mega Cat Studios strives to deliver unforgettable experiences for gamers of all generations. With our hearts firmly planted somewhere in the 1990s and gazes set on the future, our team combines a passion for crafting new retro classics with an unwavering commitment to delivering compelling current-gen content.
ABOUT CROWD CONTROL
For Creators, Crowd Control is an app that lets their communities interact with the games they play on stream. For Game Developers, Crowd Control is a no-cost, no-hassle tool in the developer toolbox to add livestream interactivity to their games. Crowd Control supports 100+ games and has helped 70,000 creators make over $2.5MM in extra income. For more information on Crowd Control, visit www.crowdcontrol.live.
Fight the fear to survive with the upcoming horror game’s new live-action trailer!
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Oct. 9, 2024 – Saber Interactive and developer Stormind Games are excited to reveal the “Microphone Noise Detection” feature in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, the single-player horror game inspired by Paramount Pictures’ critically-acclaimed franchise, launching October 17. By activating your microphone, this optional feature lets the game’s deadly creatures detect every sound you make in real life, bringing the horror right into your room. Get a glimpse of what it’s like when any noise can betray you with the game’s new “Survive in Silence” live-action trailer!
About A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead
Capturing the frantic terror, unnerving atmosphere and gripping human drama that made the franchise famous, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is designed for fans of the films, horror games, and story-driven adventures alike. With nothing more than your wits and the simple tools you can scavenge, you’ll have to overcome the many treacherous challenges and obstacles that lie ahead, all while trying to survive the ever-present dangers that lurk all around you.
Experience the harrowing journey of Alex, a young college student suffering from asthma and struggling to survive the end of the world alongside her boyfriend, Martin. But the nightmarish creatures stalking the land aren’t the only threat she’ll have to contend with as she travels through the ruins of civilization in search of a safe haven for herself and her family.
Key Features
A New Story in the A Quiet Place Universe: Embark on a dramatic new adventure in the world of the blockbuster A Quiet Place saga. Discover an untold tale of fear and courage as a young survivor trying to endure the eerie new nightmare of the apocalypse.
Feel the Unnerving Terror of Silence: Experience absolute horror as you hide, distract, and sneak past the ultimate predatory creatures. But beware: even a single noise can give you away.
Survive the End of the World: Forge your own path through the disquieting remains of human civilization, using your wits and ingenuity to observe your environment, leverage whatever tools you can find, and overcome the dangers all around you.
Experience Full Immersion with Microphone Noise Detection: Amplify the terror of A Quiet Place like never before with the optional “Microphone Noise Detection” feature. By activating your microphone, the game’s deadly creatures can detect every sound you make, bringing the horror right into your room.
Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of 13 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Jurassic Park: Survival, World War Z, SnowRunner, and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with leading developers and publishers, including producing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and many others. Learn more at https://saber.games.
About Stormind Games
Stormind Games is the Italian, fully independent studio focused on PC/console original IPs and helping AAA IP holders develop their own games. Their titles feature intense stories, profound gameplay and lore-rich universes to develop transmedia franchises, with distinctive visual style for instant recognition. Developers of the critically acclaimed survival horror franchise Remothered; the award-winning story-driven ARPG Batora: Lost Haven; A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, the first-person horror adventure based on the acclaimed Paramount franchise; and other projects not yet announced. Learn more at https://stormindgames.com.
About Paramount Consumer Products
Paramount Consumer Products oversees all licensing and merchandising for Paramount (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by a diverse slate of consumer brands, Paramount Consumer Products’ portfolio is based on content from platforms including Paramount+, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), cable networks (including MTV, Nickelodeon and Showtime), and Paramount Pictures. Additionally, the division operates Paramount Game Studios. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, Paramount Consumer Products is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world’s most beloved, iconic franchises. To view our range of consumer products and Paramount branded apparel, visit ParamountShop.com.
Game-Changing Now Available on Xbox and PlayStation
Watford, United Kingdom — October 9th, 2024 | Wired Productions and solo indie developer Tomas Sala are proud to announce the launch of the Bulwark: Evolution on the Xbox family of Consoles and the PlayStation 4 & 5 platforms, including additional PC platforms: GOG, Epic Store and Utomik. This major free update, which has already been successfully launched on Steam, brings a new layer of depth, strategy, and innovative gameplay mechanics to the immersive world of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles.
Following extensive feedback from players, Bulwark: Evolution now features three distinct ways to play with each mode providing a unique experience:
The Original Bulwark Experience: Players will explore the Great Ursee as they build their grand civilisation, scavenge for resources, create trade routes, and form alliances with other factions scattered across the waves.
Freebuild Mode: Create without consequence in this cosy mode, free from the conflict and challenges of standard play, where players can experiment and build without limits.
Total Conquest: The beacons are lit, and the fires of war are here! In this challenging new mode, players start Bulwark at war with every possible faction. There’s no diplomacy and the frequency and scale of raids is like nothing they’ve ever seen before. Building alone won’t suffice — players will need grit, determination and strategic know-how in order to survive the onslaught of the Great Ursee.
The game has doubled its open-world content, enhanced progression clarity, and introduced more strategic options alongside a wealth of new mechanics. Players can now unlock new fortresses and command their own ocean-going flagship to battle even more capable and deadly enemies on the high seas.
Bulwark: Evolution will also be available on both Xbox and Playstation with 45% off starting 9th of October.
For those interested in providing developer Tomas Sala with more feedback to help continue to shape Bulwark: Evolution alongside him, players can check out his Discord here. They can also explore The Great Ursee with Tomas on Twitter/X, as he shares regular, behind-the-scenes developer updates!
About Wired Productions
Wired Productions is a true Indie Publisher proudly presenting a diverse range of specially curated games from some of the greatest storytellers and independent developers. Named as “Indie Publisher of the Year” at the MCV / Develop Awards, Wired is home to an award-winning collection of titles including: Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, Arcade Paradise VR, Tin Hearts, Martha Is Dead, The Falconeer, The Last Worker, and Deliver Us The Moon. Upcoming titles include Gori: Cuddly Carnage, Hotel Architect, DIG VR and KARMA: The Dark World.
About Tomas Sala
BAFTA-nominated Tomas Sala is an independent game artist and designer as well as the co-founder of game studio Little Chicken Game Company. Known to most gamers for his exotic Skyrim Mod series: Moonpath to Elsweyr, Tomas has developed a unique visual style over the years that have helped turn games such as Rekt! (iOS/Switch), SXPD (iOS) and TrackLab (PSVR) into unique visual and interactive experiences, before creating the critically acclaimed The Falconeer.
Explore a 12k square kilometer world, take on a thrilling campaign, chase down bounties, enter races, and more!
Frankfurt/Hannover, Germany – October 9th, 2024 – In cooperation with boutique publisher Senatis, indie developer Reakktor Studios is proud to unveil their next game as the futuristic aerial combat sim G-Rebels. Take to the skies in a dystopian open world full of intrigue, free exploration, dangerous missions and breathtaking flight maneuvers when G-Rebels launches next year!
G-Rebels is an action-packed combat flight sim set in a dystopian world in the year 2684. Spanning a fully explorable open world of more than 12,000 square kilometers, G-Rebels‘ will take you across neon metropolises, remote outposts, advanced research facilities, industrial factories, and more. Follow the main story where you’re part of an elite force fighting organized crime, or take on side quests as a bounty hunter, racing pilot, bodyguard, mercenary, pirate, miner, or hunter for lost artifacts.
Upgrade and customize your ship, an ultra-modern Skyblade, by equipping new engines, weapons, shields, AI-controlled drones, multi-warhead missiles or stealth devices. Create your own approach to combat, as you can fight other gliders the old-fashioned way or hack into the enemies’ control unit to hijack use of their Skyblades.
Utilizing the power of Unreal Engine 5, G-Rebels will feature changing weather conditions with volumetric clouds, dynamic sun and moon positions with realistic day-night cycles, real-time simulation of thousands of flying objects in the world, and complete world streaming – i.e. no loading screens!
“At Reakktor, we love open-world and space exploration games,” said Martin Schwiezer, Founder and Studio Lead at Reakktor Studios. “We are also big fans of the cyberpunk and anime genres, so it was natural for us to develop a sci-fi action flight sim. But we didn’t want to develop yet another space game. Despite the dystopian, futuristic setting we chose, the world of G-Rebels, with its dynamic weather and day-night cycles, offers so much beauty and breathtaking vistas that we really wanted to have Earth as the setting for our game. Flying your Skyblade through vibrant megacities or dynamic, volumetric clouds over the moonlit ocean is simply a fantastic experience. With today’s technology, these locations can be made so lifelike and immersive. G-Rebels is a highly ambitious project with a massive open-world to explore, loads of mission, combat variety and tons of ways to upgrade and customize your Skyblade. We believe fans of action-packed flight sims and open-world exploration will love what G-Rebels offers when it launches next year!”
Founded in 1991 as Century Interactive by Martin Schwiezer, Reakktor developed many single and multiplayer games like Subtrade, Bermuda Syndrome, Neocron, Black Prophecy, and Toxikk. Reakktor is one of the oldest and most experienced game developer brands in Germany. With MMOFPS game Neocron, they released the world’s first MMO game with a Cyberpunk setting.
About Senatis
Senatis GmbH is an independent boutique publisher based in Frankfurt, Germany, specialising in traditional PC and console games. With over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, Senatis offers expert consulting services to individual development teams, providing valuable insights and guidance. In addition to its consultancy work, the company actively invests in and publishes selected game projects, demonstrating its commitment to fostering innovation and excellence within the gaming community.
Being handed a classic and beloved game that many see as the pinnacle of its genre is already a daunting task, but when that game also happens to be part of a franchise that has laid mostly dormant for over a decade and even then was only through maligned remasters given some life, it puts the challenge even further. Combine this with a shaky track record at Bloober Team and fan perception is going to be at its most critical and with a game like Silent Hill 2 being the one given the remake treatment, it is going to be impossible to please everyone. So, with fans at their most critical despite horror remakes being the recent trend and Silent Hill 2 being seen as the pinnacle of psychological horror, has this team managed to find success and at least please most with Silent Hill 2 Remake?
Story
It goes without saying but those coming into Silent Hill 2 need no knowledge of what happened in the first game as the original game that started it all is only loosely connected to the franchise as a whole though those that are familiar with it will catch new references that have been worked into Silent Hill 2. Players take on the role of James Sunderland who has received a letter from his wife Mary saying that she is waiting for him in their favorite place, a remote mining town by the name of Silent Hill. The only problem is, Mary has been dead for three years now and the letter is clearly written in her handwriting. In an effort to figure out what exactly is happening, James travels to Silent Hill to try and uncover the mystery behind this sudden letter from his wife only to find that the once quiet town of Silent Hill is now a decrepit fog-filled city on the brink of disaster where twisted monsters roam the streets and the few other people he encounters are just as confused and unsure about the state of the city as he is.
Silent Hill 2 has always been more about the psychological horror aspect of things, delving deep into the psyche of James and the people that he encounters, some of which may have made their way into Silent Hill on their own or through other means, and it is clear that Bloober Team knew that this was an aspect that they had to stick true to in this remake. The struggle with James’ guilt and his trauma of losing his wife is felt throughout the game as he constantly pushes past horrors with a drive to search for the next clue that leads to Mary. It also helps that this isn’t a soldier or even anyone with any type of training, James is an everyman placed in a nightmare and the story remains nearly untouched in this regard and only expanded upon as a result of his extra interactions with certain environments and parts of the world that have been greatly expanded.
Some character dialogue is a little less nuanced than before, making some points a bit clearer and more obvious than they were in the original game and many hints about certain elements are also revealed far earlier or just in general compared to before but these come in the form of both the game’s additional writing, the fact that players can actually see certain game elements with modern day graphics instead of the PlayStation 2’s limitations, and even the collectables that players can find that range from additional memos to brand new ones called strange photos. While we won’t go into details here to avoid spoilers, despite the original game’s age, these clues, if players can figure them out, give extra hints and context to the story of James and Mary especially in regards to the photos which are deliberately placed in out of the way locations and even out of order to confuse things further until players click it into place themselves.
The strange nature of Silent Hill 2 remains intact for the most part as well with there being just as many odd seeming locations as horrific ones and the surreal encounters remain the same as well, in fact longtime fans of the franchise will catch countless glimpses, references, and lore connected to even other aspects of Silent Hill that aren’t even addressed in the second game and while we can’t say our own theories here for the sake of spoilers, it is quite deep if players pay attention to a number of highly specific locations while roaming the streets. It is also nice to note that the game drops countless references to its origins through “glimpses of the past” that showcase previous puzzles, situations, or even warped structures where events previously transpired in the original version of the game that now happen elsewhere in Silent Hill 2 Remake. It is also worth noting that many elements that involve the game’s multiple endings remain the same as well, including how players obtain them from the original version. It is also worth noting that players need to unlock New Game+ before being able to access the title’s more infamous comedic endings as the mode unlocks a number of new puzzles and items in the world but also adds two brand new endings as well, both of which are wholly original to the Remake and will only feed even more fuel into the fan theories surrounding Silent Hill.
Gameplay
With Bloober Team behind the wheel for Silent Hill 2 players will still be spending most of their time exploring the same familiar areas that they originally did such as the twisting and often blocked off or crumbling streets of the foggy town or navigating locations such as the Apartments or Brookvale Hospital only with an over-the shoulder perspective instead and it is worth noting that nearly every location in the game has been expanded in various ways. Most of this expansion simply comes from adding additional rooms or locations to be explored for healing items or ammunition while others come into play in regards to solving the newly changed-up puzzles as nearly every puzzle has been reworked from the original version of the game. Now, it is worth noting that some of these expanded areas do feel a little too long at times and a bit padded as a result. In fact, one late game location felt so heavy on repeated traversal to complete the area that, even with the heavy use of firearms to simply cut a path through enemies, it felt excessive. These expanded areas don’t generally suffer from this level of fatigue but perhaps due to the level design, this one that we won’t spoil here, does.
Either way, as players explore they’ll need to make use of James’ flashlight and radio to help navigate the dangerous locations and keep an eye out for both puzzle pieces, items, and enemies. Now it is worth noting that Silent Hill 2 Remake is right and proper dark. Players on the proper visual settings will find that James has very little visual room to work with most of the time and that does wonders to bring up the tension of exploration. Of course, players can bump up the brightness to help a bit and even have indicators highlight interactables once players are nearby though these can be turned off entirely as well. Similarly, it is worth noting that just like the original game Silent Hill 2 Remake allows players to choose from three different levels of difficulty for combat and puzzle challenge with combat difficulty being changeable at any time but puzzle difficulty being locked in for that entire playthrough.
The puzzles themselves are, as mentioned before, almost entirely different with a few signature ones remaining and even these have been altered in various ways. Solving these puzzles is always a delightful challenge and rarely feels too frustrating to figure out, especially since many simply involve tracking down the necessary items or decoding a few hints. The real challenge often comes from combat since James is just a standard guy finding himself in a hellish town though things will be quite a bit easier this time around thanks to some more modernized controls and aiming schemes.
Whenever James finds himself having to face off against any form of enemy players can use melee attacks with either a wooden board or steel pipe to bash away at an opponent. Along these same lines James can also perform a couple of quick dodges to try and avoid incoming attacks, though he can only perform two in a row before finding himself vulnerable. This is a far cry from how vulnerable melee combat was in the original game, especially since James will automatically target enemies when swinging his weapon. There are a few frustrations occasionally with targeting sometimes locking onto an already prone enemy, stomping on them instead of swinging at a still standing foe but considering players should always be landing a few extra blows anyways to make sure foes stay down, it’s rarely an issue. It is also interesting to note that players can use the melee weapon to break glass windows and cases to obtain items inside.
When it comes to firearms James only ever gains access to a standard handgun, a shotgun, and a rifle with no upgrades of any kind. That being said, not only can players manually aim now to target enemies as they see fit, potentially firing a few rounds before laying into them with a melee attack to down them, they can also quickly swap between guns with the tap of the D-Pad. No longer is there any cumbersome menu screen to swap between melee or firearms and even healing can be done with the simple press of triangle with a tap using a health drink and a long press using a healing syringe. This all makes combat feel much more fluid and capable while still remaining challenging though most of this challenge tends to be due to the fact that there are far more enemies in Silent Hill 2 Remake than before. It is also worth noting that while players can still choose to try and sneak around enemies or skip fights altogether with some foes, they will try to persistently chase down James for quite some time and this can lead to larger encounters that place James at a disadvantage, especially since melee combat is balanced for one on one fights primarily. The few boss battles that appear throughout Silent Hill 2 Remake have also been touched up and changed here and there though the general gist of the fights remain the same. Instead these changes keep players more engaged in some of the latter boss battles while a mid-game boss fight sees some significant improvement over its original counterpart.
That being said, even playing on Normal combat and Normal puzzles saw my first end running with over ten of each healing item and a small armory’s worth of ammo for my firearms though whether this was due to constant searching is up in the air and will vary from player to player. Once players complete the game it is worth noting that New Game+ mode is automatically unlocked and allows players to start a slightly modified version of the game. Unlike the standard style of New Game+, nothing carries over including any and all collectables but, as mentioned before, new endings are made unlockable as well as a number of new items including a powerful new melee weapon that arrives far earlier than the standard one.
Audio & Visuals
It must really be said that Bloober Team has handled the remaking of Silent Hill 2’s creepy fog-filled streets and shadowy corridors excellently here. Thick fog blankets every street giving players only a few feet of sight to work with as they travel through the streets during the day and this minimal sight diminishes even further once night falls. Players will walk the decrepit streets with missing posters flapping in the wind, abandoned cars with breakable windows containing supplies, and hauntingly bleach white sheets draped over cut off corridors. Even inside the buildings James will find himself very little light to work with as the flashlight provides only the minimal amount of lighting from the dangers that lurk just out of sight. Even the enemies have all been given significant visual improvements and more noticeable elements. This includes adding variations to the Lying Figures and even the Bubble Head Nurses have been given more details, blood spatters depending on where they are hit. The Mannequins, as simple as their design is, have revamped enemy AI that makes them act like stealthy furniture just out of sight and ready to pounce once James either passes by or catches sight of them. Even the bosses have been given revamped appearances with Pyramid Head and other signature bosses now reworked to be more dangerous and frightful than ever.
When the original Silent Hill 2 was released Konami went with who they could find to provide the voice work for the cast with only Angela’s original voice actress given any connection to the company after the title’s release. These original recordings were seemingly lost to the point that all of the voice acting had to be redone in the HD Collection by a fresh more talented voice cast to fill in their roles. Now, Bloober Team has once again recast the various characters in Silent Hill 2 Remake with another set of voice actors that handle their roles quite well here with Luke Roberts taking the lead as James as opposed to Troy Baker. The sound effects in the game are outstandingly spooky and work wonders, especially when coupled with the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller as the radio will start crackling through the controller’s speakers when enemies are nearby as well as on screen. As for the background music the title features a solid collection of background music that fits the gloomy and depressing nature of Silent Hill and James’ journey throughout the dark and foggy world.
Overall
Bloober Team was given a nearly insurmountable task of taking a beloved and impactful psychological horror game and remake it for modern audiences and not only has the team managed to do so quite successfully, they have more than honored the original aspects of the game at the same time. With a revamped combat system that remains tense and challenging even if it does drown the player with resources a bit and a storyline that retains all of the psychological trauma and themes that made the original so beloved all wrapped up in dark and foggy package that is hauntingly beautiful it must be said that Silent Hill 2 Remake is quite the success for both Konami and Bloober Team.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
KYIV, UKRAINE — October 9th, 2024 The original trilogy of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, which includes Shadow of Chornobyl (2007), Clear Sky (2008) and Call of Prypiat (2009), will release on Nintendo Switch™ on October 31 — slightly ahead of the initially planned November release window.
The trailer containing the footage fully captured on Nintendo Switch hardware can be found below:
These versions of the classic games are fully optimized for Nintendo Switch, including, but not limited to, adapted shooting system with gyro aiming, touch interface and controls, refined visuals, and full handheld and TV mode support. Thanks to these changes, the experience in the Chornobyl Anomalous Zone will feel authentic for all players — both for those who want to refresh their memories and for new stalkers.
GSC worked closely with MATABOO (https://www.mataboo.com/) to make this version happen and fully utilize the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch console.
The games will be sold digitally for 19.99 USD/19.99 EUR/15.99 GBP each and for 39.99 USD/39.99 EUR/32.99 GBP as a bundle. Regional prices will be applied in selected territories.
Please use the contacts below if you want to apply for the Nintendo Switch review code. Also, you can follow official GSC social media channels for further updates on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe in general.
The war in Ukraine continues. GSC Game World has been supporting our home country in all the ways we can. For those willing to do the same, we recommend following a link to the official charity fund of Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine himself:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a series of first-person survival shooters with horror and RPG elements, set in a dark, science fiction, post-apocalyptic world surrounding the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. The original trilogy includes S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl (2007), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2008), and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Prypiat (2009). The series is highly acclaimed for its unique worldview and gameplay, with cumulative worldwide sales exceeding 15 million units.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is an updated edition of the original trilogy, published for PlayStation and Xbox platforms on March 7, 2024, and available on Nintendo Switch on October 31, 2024.
About GSC Game World
GSC Game World, a Ukrainian video game developer, was founded in 1995 and is renowned for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Cossacks series. The studio is committed to delivering top-tier gaming experiences and is currently focused on the upcoming release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
New Features Include 2 Player vs AI, New Units, and Player Personalization System
Los Angeles, CA – October 7, 2024 – Uncapped Games, a new studio comprised of passionate RTS developers who’ve shipped games from award-winning franchises such as StarCraft, Warcraft, Dawn of War, and Company of Heroes, announced today that it will begin accepting new players to beta test its upcoming action real-time strategy game, Battle Aces, on November 7, 2024. Participants in the previous phase of beta testing will be able to get in a day earlier on November 6. New players can sign up for the beta at www.playbattleaces.com
Previously announced in June 2024 at Summer Game Fest, Battle Aces was immediately received with high praise from gaming press and influencers alike. The game endeavors to begin a new era of strategy gaming, combining the natural interface of MOBA games, the meta strategic elements of deck building games, and the fast-paced intensity of real-time strategy (RTS) games. This combination of strategic influences, melded with design innovations like instant unit spawning, automated resource gathering, and streamlined base building, keeps players focused on the fun of controlling massive armies in battle while making key strategic decisions to attack, expand, or tech.
New features introduced to Battle Aces in this phase of beta testing will include:
New exciting units fleshing out additional ways to strategize and dominate the battlefield
A robust 2 vs AI cooperative mode, allowing friends to team up against computer opponents that are tuned automatically to the players’ skill level
Dynamic contract system (daily & seasonal) with additional ways to earn in-game War Credits and initial WarPath reward track system
Improved quality-of-life features including the ability to try a new unit deck vs AI, enhancements to UI highlighting strategic counters for units and more will also be unveiled in this phase of testing
Introduction of the Ace personalization system, including:
Custom skins for core bases
Army paints allow players choices in color for their units
Custom fatality animations will vary how core base buildings explode in victory and defeat
Unique avatars, banners, in-match sprays, and emotes round out the ways in which players can adjust how they appear in Battle Aces, as well as express themselves in battle
Further customization options will be introduced later on
Further tuning and gameplay balance adjustments to the existing 1v1, 2v2 and Custom Game modes
With matches limited to 10 minutes, players can easily complete a series of satisfying battles even over a short amount of time. Players have the flexibility to choose their style of play, building out their unit decks from nearly 50 unique units, each with different strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities. Adjusting strategy and play style is just a matter of swapping unit decks in between games.
“All of us at Uncapped Games are passionate fans of the strategy genre,” said David Kim, senior game director of Uncapped Games. “Our vision was always to build a game with the depth to satisfy the most hardcore fans while also being fun and easy enough to learn to attract new players to the genre we love the most. From the feedback we’ve gotten out of our announcement and first beta test, we feel like Battle Aces is well on its way to reaching those goals. We invite everyone to come test our game and give us feedback to help build the future of strategy games.”
About Uncapped Games
Established in mid-2021, Uncapped Games is comprised of passionate developers who have shipped RTS games from award-winning franchises, including StarCraft, Warcraft, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, and more. The studio’s first game, the action RTS, Battle Aces, was announced in June 2024 and will begin a new phase of beta testing in November, 2024. Based in Playa Vista, CA, Uncapped Games is a newly-formed US-based studio under LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS, a global game development group with teams across the world.
About LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS
LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS is a leading global game developer with teams across China, United States, Singapore, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and United Arab Emirates. LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS has created over 50 games across multiple platforms and genres for over 4 billion registered users. It is the co-developer of worldwide hit PUBG MOBILE (co-developed with KRAFTON, Inc.) and the developer of the upcoming AAA open-world game, Last Sentinel. LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS is made up of passionate players who advance the art & science of game development through great stories, great gameplay, and advanced technology. We are focused on bringing next generation experiences to gamers who want to enjoy them anywhere, anytime, across multiple genres and devices.
Dive into the quirky, supernatural world of Blood Bar Tycoon, a unique management game, with a demo available on Steam starting October 8, 2024. Run your own vampire bar, attract mortal patrons to serve your immortal clientele, and build a bloody empire in Crimson City.
The new release date for the final game is also announced.
Namur, Belgium – October 9th, 2024: Following the success of Blood Bar Tycoon‘s open beta, the team at Clever Trickster is thrilled to announce that players can now experience a slice of the game with a downloadable demo on Steam. This demo provides management and simulation enthusiasts a sneak peek of what Blood Bar Tycoon has to offer. Join the community on Discord to share your thoughts and management strategies!
Additionally, Clever Trickster would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the open beta for Blood Bar Tycoon. The positive feedback and constructive suggestions have been greatly appreciated by the entire team. Thanks to this input, the developers are already making improvements to refine the game and provide an even more captivating experience.
However, to ensure the final game meets the studio’s quality standards, the developers have decided to reschedule the official release of Blood Bar Tycoon to February 4, 2025. This additional time will allow the team to incorporate community-suggested adjustments and ensure every player can enjoy a game that lives up to their expectations.
The game will be released at a price of $19.99 on Steam.
ABOUT THE GAME
Blood Bar Tycoon is a vampire bar management game. Build bars and blood factories, lure humans to harvest their blood, process it, and serve your customers: other vampires. Research quirky machines and deal with hunters! Expand through Crimson City to become a mighty Elder!
Revamp your vampire bar! As a vampire bar manager, transform shabby bistros into the trendiest bars in the neighborhood! At the same time, lure those clueless mortals into your quirky blood factory to feed other vampires. Manage stocks, avoid bankruptcy, and prevent your Blood Bars from being burned by hunters.
Run your business – Hire low-level vampires as minions to carry out your dirty work. Manage their priorities to optimize your operations and satisfy both your mortal and immortal customers. Don’t forget to feed them as well! Arrange the hallways, rooms, and other amenities to your taste to enhance the prestige of your bar and become the true hotspot of the neighborhood.
Capture juicy humans! Develop an underground human detention center before processing them in your whacky machines to extract their precious blood in all its forms. What’s better than serving Bloody Slushies or a Bloody Daiquiri to satisfy your wealthiest and most demanding vampire clients? Discover crazy cocktails with new ways to harvest and process blood! If you do things well, humans will leave with a free hangover from your establishment. But in case of trouble, you’ll have a corpse on your hands… and you risk attracting the attention of vampire hunters!
Unleash Your Vampiric Creativity! You’re not just a vampire bar manager; you’re the architect of a true nocturnal masterpiece. Enjoy extensive freedom to renovate, design, and customize every aspect of your establishment with a wide range of themes and styles. Transform rundown taverns into spectacular bars where every detail, from furniture to lighting, reflects your unique vision. Create the perfect ambiance to attract the most discerning vampires and become a legend of the night! Competitions will highlight the most stunning bars!
Micromanage or Automate Your Minions! The Choice is Yours! Take command of your minions with micro-interactions, managing them like a true vampire overlord to tackle emergencies. Seamlessly blend micromanagement with automation, assign work sectors, and set priorities to grow your dark empire like an evil mastermind!
Handle the whims of Elder vampires – Interact with enigmatic Elder vampires who will guide you through the night and shape your destiny as a Blood Bar manager. But beware, each Elder has a unique personality. Please them, and you’ll be richly rewarded! Disappoint them, and you’ll face their wrath as they plot your downfall.
Expand through Crimson City! Our first Blood Bar marks the beginning of your ascent to dominate the blood trade in Crimson City! Each new bar presents new challenges to overcome at your own pace. Prevent your impatient and voracious customers from feeding directly on your human clients. Improve your facilities, machines, and staff. Utilize research and new systems to enrich yourself more quickly! Analyze your indicators to become the best vampire bar manager in the city.
Your Ultimate Goal: Becoming an Elder! Try to please the Elders to gain their favor, or suffer their wrath! Understand their personalities and learn how to flatter them. Will you ally with the crazy Yumeko, the voluptuous Sophie, the megalomaniac Vladimir, or someone else? Take control of every district of Crimson City with their help to become one of them and rule for eternity! Will you achieve your vampiric goals or fail miserably?
Players can now wishlist the game on Steam and join our community on Discord.
ABOUT CLEVER TRICKSTER
Clever Trickster is a video game development studio founded in 2022 by gaming veterans passionate about strategy and management games. These genres have influenced the principles that guide the team: efficiency and innovation. The studio’s ethos values equality, collaboration, and autonomy, creating an inclusive and supportive environment. The team constantly strives to improve in order to deliver enriching gaming experiences, while keeping fun at the heart of work.
Ludovic Mahieu, co-founder of Clever Trickster, commented: “Ben, our creative director, and I came up with the idea for Blood Bar Tycoon during our role-playing game sessions several years ago. For me, creating this game was a unique opportunity to combine my love for management games and the vampire universe, while also allowing us to express our quirky and offbeat humor! Today, we are very excited to bring the game to life starting on October 28.“
Virginie Maréchal, also co-founder of Clever Trickster added: “We are thrilled to have taken this project as far as we could with a young and passionate team, combining the challenges of a game with complex mechanics with the adventure of launching a new studio. I am very proud of the journey we’ve made and grateful to all our partners and the players who have supported us from the beginning. We can’t wait for the world to discover Blood Bar Tycoon, especially through the open beta.”
Rule the Ring with the Most Authentic Boxing Experience onPlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Sydney, Australia, 9 October 2024. Steel City Interactive, in partnership with PLAION, is thrilled to announce the official release of Undisputed, the highly anticipated boxing video game, on 11 October 2024.
As the first major boxing game in over a decade, Undisputed redefines the genre with its authentic gameplay, expansive licensed roster, and innovative fight mechanics. Fans who purchase the digital Deluxe WBC Edition can play immediately and get exclusive content.
After an early access period that began in January 2023, Undisputed has continually evolved in response to player feedback to deliver the most intense and engaging boxing gameplay to date. With the official launch, players can expect polished gameplay, refined animations, and enhanced movement for an unparalleled boxing experience.
The game has meticulous attention to detail, incorporating advanced movement systems, over 60 punch variations and a dynamic physics engine to create a truly immersive fight experience. A deep control system ensures strategic balance between offense and defence, where timing, combinations and ring movement are critical to victory.
Undisputed features over 70 real-life men and women boxers, legends and present-day icons, covering multiple weight divisions. Each licensed fighter is meticulously grounded in realistic stats and traits to mimic their real-life counterparts.
Whether it is a current superstar such as Tyson Fury or Katie Taylor, or legends such as Joe Frazier or Roy Jones Jr., Undisputed brings together the most star-studded, realistic boxing line-up of the year.
The game incorporates real-world boxing organizations like the WBC, WBO, and IBF, iconic venues, and gyms such as Coldwell’s Gym and the Kingdom Arena, as well as boxing equipment and apparel from brands such as Empire, Everlast, and Rival.
The game launches with multiple modes, including single player, local and online multiplayer, as well as a comprehensive Career Mode where players can create their own fighters to become the Undisputed champion of the world.
Undisputed features a powerful licensed soundtrack that sets the tone for the action, blending the best of US hip hop and UK rap. Lupe Fiasco, the Grammy award-winning American rapper and record producer, created the track P4P specifically for Undisputed, which is featured in the launch trailer.
The launch trailer, narrated by boxing analyst Akin ‘AK’ Reyes, shows how Undisputed is developed with care and passion by dedicated fight fans, in close collaboration with the world of boxing to deliver unprecedented control, depth and authenticity.
It’s time to step up, take on your opponents, and rule the ring like never before.
The Standard and Deluxe Physical Editions are available for pre-order now, while the digital Deluxe WBC Edition is immediately available to purchase, offering exclusive fighters and branded apparel, as well as early access to the full release.
# # #
About Steel City Interactive
Sheffield-based Steel City Interactive (SCI) was founded in 2020 by Ash Habib, along with his brothers Asif and Asad. Formed around the idea of creating the first major, new boxing game in over a decade. The rapidly growing studio now employs over 70 people and has partnerships with the world of boxing’s leading companies including the WBC, Ring Magazine, CompuBox, BoxRec and many other prestigious boxing organisations. During development SCI has created innovative, proprietary technology to bring the world of boxing to life like never before.
About PLAION
PLAION is a dynamic and diversified business in the global entertainment sector, masterfully crafting franchises that captivate audiences worldwide. Boasting a vast network of eight game development studios, fifteen regional publishing offices, three game publishing labels including Deep Silver, and PLAION PICTURES as an independent film publisher and distributor, the company extends its influence with merchandise production and expansive distribution capabilities across the globe. Founded three decades ago, PLAION has firmly established itself within the entertainment arena. With a diverse range of services and solutions, PLAION stands as the premier publishing partner for console and PC games across both physical and digital channels. Moreover, its strong foothold in the Virtual Reality (VR) domain highlights the company’s commitment to varied gaming experiences. PLAION is an Embracer Group company.
About Deep Silver
Deep Silver is PLAION’s flagship publishing label, and the home of captivating gaming worlds from the gripping post-apocalypse of Metro, to the twisted paradises of Dead Island to the authentic Medieval landscapes of Kingdom Come Deliverance. For more information, please visit www.deepsilver.com
