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Old School RuneScape Summer Summit Reveals New Bosses, Quests & Project Zanaris, A Major New Community Servers Project, Coming Soon to the Classic MMORPG

Monday, 9 September, 2024, Cambridge, UK. Jagex is thrilled to reveal a lineup of exciting new content, including story quests, skilling updates, and more coming soon to classic MMORPG Old School RuneScape, as well as the reveal of Project Zanaris, a major new Community Servers initiative. 

Watch the Old School RuneScape Summer Summit for a look at the new content and features coming later this year and beyond: https://www.twitch.tv/oldschoolrs 

Old School RuneScape Summer Summit – Key Highlights:

  • Leagues V: Raging Echoes – Discover a new and improved Leagues mode with the upcoming launch of Raging Echoes, giving players more reasons than ever to become a Leagues legend. Get to grips with Combat Masteries, a new system that gives greater control of your battle buffs, and take on Echo Boss Variants, enhanced bosses with new mechanics, moves and lucrative loot. Raging Echoes will also introduce a complete overhaul to how Leagues content is refreshed. Rather than rotating content out, the launch of Raging Echoes will see new content introduced that enhances current and future leagues, keeping in the aspects that players love while providing additional new experiences. Discover existing locations Fortis Colosseum, Perilous Moons, and the Hunters Guild while taking your Leagues journey into Varlamore, a new area that offers Leagues access to everything the upcoming Varlamore: The Rising Darkness update has to offer.
  • Varlamore: The Rising Darkness – Return to the world of Varlamore for the continuation of OSRS’s main storyline when the next update, Varlamore: The Rising Darkness, arrives on September 25th. Following on from Children of the Sun and Twilight’s Promise, The Rising Darkness sees players digging deeper into the Twilight Emissaries to uncover the truth behind the attempts on Servius’ life. Embark on an adventure through brand new areas, including the snowy mountain peaks of Darkfrost and the luscious Aldarin, while taking on new Story Quests and a new Group Boss: the terrifying and fearsome serpent Hueycoatl. Away from the action, master a new Herblore activity Mixology and test your abilities on the Colossal Wyrm Agility Course for new rewards and a boost to your Agility XP.
  • Varlamore: The Final Dawn – Revealed for the first time, the final instalment of the Varlamore trilogy is on the way with Varlamore: The Final Dawn. Round out the epic Varlamore story with a thrilling adventure across three brand new areas: The Auburn Valley, Custodia Pass, and Tlati Rainforest. Featuring new Quests, new Bosses and a Slayer Dungeon, Varlamore: The Final Dawn promises to be a heroic finale.
  • Project Zanaris – Jagex is delighted to reveal the first look at Project Zanaris, a major new Community Servers project that allows Old School RuneScape players to set their own rules and create their own adventures for their friends, Clan, or the whole community. Project Zanaris is a place where anyone can create and share a new Old School RuneScape experience – or play in someone else’s – with full control over gameplay modifiers and creating customised experiences. Look out for additional information on Project Zanaris soon.
  • Client Updates: HD and API – Coming soon to official OSRS clients (desktop AND mobile), major new updates that bring visual overhauls as well as a suite of gameplay feature helpers as well as a way for community developers to build and distribute their own.
  • Ice & Giant Bosses – Get ready to face off against new bosses in Old School RuneScape as Ice and Giant bosses make their way into the game soon. With community feedback at their core, these new boss experiences will be built around players’ responses to future polls – with rewards to match. 
  • Wrathmaw – Inspired by the ‘Breaches’ Wilderness boss spawns in the beloved Old School RuneScape Deadman mode, Wrathmaw slithers into the main game. With polls and community influence, Jagex will be inviting players to feedback on ideas and rewards to create a truly frightening foe. 

In addition to the Old School RuneScape Summer Summits highlights above, check out the full Summer Summits VOD on the RuneScape Twitch channel here, or join the conversation on the RuneScape Discord

Old School RuneScape is available now on PC, Steam, iOS, and Android, complete with cross-platform progression and play on PC and mobile.

About Old School RuneScape

Old School RuneScape is the industry-defining collaboration between the community and developers. Embracing its nostalgic heritage, hundreds of thousands of active players control the direction of the game with an in-game polling system. Featuring adventures for solo play through to 100-player strong raids, Old School RuneScape caters for every brave adventurer. Old School RuneScape continues to innovate, introducing its first ever new skill in 2023 to commemorate its 10th anniversary, arriving later this year.

About Jagex

A leader in creating deep and engaging forever games that empower our communities across PC, mobile and consoles. Jagex’s flagship MMORPG, RuneScape, has welcomed over 300 million player accounts to its world and is a $1billion + lifetime revenue franchise. Today the RuneScape franchise exists beyond live operations; our titles are forever games that connect and inspire millions of players, with content and experiences both inside and outside of inexhaustible game worlds. Both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, on PC and mobile, offer ever-evolving, highly active worlds and our community-focussed development ethos empowers players to have a real say in how each game is shaped.

In 2022, Jagex expanded with the acquisitions of PipeWorks and Gamepires, bringing its expertise in building forever games to SCUM, a multi-million selling open-world survival title in Steam Early Access & other unannounced titles. Jagex employs more than 600 people globally, and is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Solo Developer onewinter games Launches Tower Defense Roguelite ‘Terrorformer TD’ on Steam

Terraform the Battlefield and Funnel Your Enemies Into Perfect Killzones

Brooklyn, New York (September 9, 2024) Onewinter games – an indie solo developer with a lifelong passion for gaming – is thrilled to launch its premier title, Terrorformer TD. Currently available on Windows PC via Steam, Terrorformer TD marries the highly customizable nature of terraforming with the developer’s favorite genre, tower defense roguelites.

In Terrorformer TD, the map erodes and grows as the game progresses. Every round, the player fortifies their defenses to survive against waves of enemies; then cashes in at the shop for new towers, upgrades, and other rewards. Players gain XP and level up to unlock new abilities and components after each run, growing stronger the longer they play.

Watch the Terrorformer TD Release Trailer

As the map changes, so does your strategy. Move enemy spawners, raise & lower tiles to redirect enemies into the line of fire, and evolve your tactics with the map as it grows. Unlock new procedurally generated maps, each with unique terraforming opportunities and base-building strategies. Grow along with the dynamic battlefield and design the right defenses for each playthrough’s challenges.

What began as a Master of Fine Arts thesis project quickly transformed into the pride and joy of solo developer TJ Cioffe of onewinter games, as he realized that this was a real opportunity to build upon previous tower defense staples and take the genre in his own direction. In doing so, Terrorformer TD has been carefully crafted to include all of the best elements of tower defense, while adding its own twists such as procedurally generated maps that can be terraformed, roguelike progression, online leaderboards, and weekly challenges.

“From its humble beginnings as a tech demo on itch.io, to a fully-fledged Steam release that saw over 2,000 players playtest it over the past six months, I am immensely proud of my work on Terrorformer TD and honored to share my take on the Tower Defense genre with the world!” says TJ Cioffe, creator of Terrorformer TD.

Key Features of Terrorformer TD:

  • Terraform the Battlefield: Unlock new procedurally generated maps, each with unique terraforming opportunities and base-building strategies. Grow along with the dynamic battlefield and design the right defenses for each playthrough’s challenges.
  • Assemble a Home Tower: Customize your Home Tower each run from the components you’ve unlocked, giving you access to special abilities, upgrades, and weapons! Earn dozens of permanent perks as you play and level up, increasing your survivability on each run.
  • Choose Your Own Adventure: Unlocks, upgrades, and map erosion are randomized every round, so each playthrough is different. Try your hand at a harder difficulty, or see how long you can last using the Weekly Challenge’s loadout!
  • Take on Enemy Hordes: Counter enemy abilities like Fortify, Warp, and Disable Tower with 25 unique towers that earn XP and level up, growing stronger as the game goes on. Mix-and-match defenses to find the best combination for each enemy challenge.

Terrorformer TD is out now on Windows PC via Steam.

About onewinter games

onewinter games is an indie game studio specializing in strategy and simulation games based in Brooklyn and run by TJ Cioffe. TJ likes to joke that he learned math by counting rupees in the original NES Zelda; he’s been into game design and programming ever since he got his hands on the original DOOM’s level editor as a kid; and he’s been itching to make a tower defense game since the genre first originated in Warcraft and Starcraft maps. After spending his teens and twenties working in IT, he pivoted to game development in his mid-30s, heading back to school to get his MFA in Game Systems Design. Now, he’s excited to share his first published game with the world!

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection – Gameplay

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The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection from Capcom brings both Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit, the latter in English for the very first time, and we dive into the first case in the first title only to find ourselves having to solve a murder that happens right in Edgeworth’s own office. Using a variety of new and familiar mechanics it is up to us to find the culprit.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection – Gameplay

Miles Edgeworth’s dramatic turnabouts take center stage! Experience both Ace Attorney Investigations games in one gorgeous collection! Investigate crime scenes and solve tough, intriguing cases through logic and deduction. When Edgeworth’s past and present collide, his future begins!

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
Developer: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publisher: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Platform: Windows, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 6 Sep, 2024
Price: $39.99 USD

Available here – https://www.ace-attorney.com/investigations1-2/

Summary:

Recommended – “Ace Attorney Investigations Collection offers a wonderfully entertaining pair of stories supported by mostly entertaining mechanics that make it easy to recommend to fans of the series.”

Check out our review for Ace Attorney Investigations Collection here!

Check out all the latest in the world of video games, anime, and entertainment at Capsule Computers:

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Space War MMORPG ‘OGame’ to Celebrate 22nd Anniversary with Hotly Anticipated Gameplay Features

Achievements and Avatars in OGame: Mega Update Announced for the Space Strategy Classic’s 22nd Anniversary. Gameforge to roll out highly anticipated new features to the free-to-play browser, iOS, and Android MMO

Karlsruhe, Germany (September 9, 2024) — In celebration of OGame’s 22nd birthday this October, Gameforge is rolling out several eagerly awaited features. The substantial “Profile & Achievements” update introduces a slew of exciting new options that allow players to personalize their profiles, enhance motivation, and significantly upgrade the game’s competitive element. The community will be able to jump in and start testing these features as early as September. The team will be collecting player feedback and working diligently to improve the version intended for the anniversary launch in October.

Personalized Profiles, Seasonal Achievements, Global Rankings, Rewards and Much More

The forthcoming update to OGame will enable players to customize their profiles like never before. With the introduction of a new achievement system, players can unlock and use free avatars, titles, and planet skins to proudly display their in-game accomplishments. Achievements earn rewards that are visible across all servers, ensuring that players can be recognized universally with their tailored profiles. Additionally, players will accumulate points through their achievements that feed into a global ranking system. This system, bolstered by additional seasonal achievements, promises more dynamic gameplay and sustained engagement.


“As we prepare to celebrate OGame’s 22nd anniversary, we aimed to give our dedicated community something truly exceptional,” says Martin Liedtke, Director of Products at Gameforge. “This update not only revitalizes the game but also enables our players to showcase their personal achievements and distinctive styles for our very competitive players to showcase their accomplishments.”

Key Features:

  • Customizable Player Profiles: Players can now personalize their presence in the game with new avatars, titles, and unique planet skins, enhancing the overall gaming experience. The new profile also shows high score points and other achievements, allowing players to display their progress.  
  • Achievement System: The update introduces a robust achievement tracking system where players can earn rewards through gameplay, which are then prominently displayed for bragging rights across all servers. 
  • Season Achievements: Seasonal achievements encourage participation in new server launches, offering exclusive rewards that highlight player accomplishments in seasonal events. Every season comes with unique season avatars, titles, and planet skins that can be earned for free. 
  • Global Ranking System: A new global ranking system based on achievement points motivates players to compete and achieve more, enhancing both engagement and competitive spirit. Players can select one of their profiles as a “global profile”. This is the one all other players can see and visit in the global high score.  
  • Cross-Server Recognition: Achievements and rewards unlocked on one server are recognized across all servers, allowing players to maintain a sense of progression and continuity. 
  • Progressive Rewards: By unlocking additional achievements, players will sometimes be able to claim various vanity rewards that can improve with each level of achievement gained.

The extensive update for the space strategy classic is set to launch in October, just in time for the game’s 22nd anniversary. OGame first went online in 2002 and rapidly evolved into a genre-defining classic, captivating millions of players around the world. The game remains highly popular among strategy enthusiasts, largely thanks to frequent updates that breathe new life into the virtual struggle for dominance in the universe.

More information about the update and its PTS: https://board.en.ogame.gameforge.com/index.php?thread/846968-avatar-achievements/

About OGame

Developed by Gameforge CEO Alexander Rösner and released on October 3, 2002, OGame is one of the longest-running sci-fi MMOs. Currently, over 100 million players are registered worldwide. It all starts with establishing a small colony on a previously uninhabited planet. Using resources from their new home and their tactical skills, players build an empire, research new technologies, and construct an impressive war fleet. They expand their stellar empire by colonizing planets, forging tactical alliances, or engaging in space battles against other players. There are different lifeforms in the game that all have their own buildings and research. Players can select one of these four races (Humans, Rocktal, Kaelesh and Mech) on each planet. Conquer alien galaxies in an unprecedented campaign and ascend as the most powerful ruler of the universe!

About Gameforge:

Founded in 2003, Gameforge is a leading Western publisher and operator of popular massively multiplayer online (MMO) and browser-based games. Gameforge builds highly active and durable global communities by supporting players through high-quality LiveOps, the delivery of localized content, dedicated community management, and the regular delivery of meaningful updates.

Gameforge’s diverse portfolio of successful game brands offers different worlds with captivating experiences for players from all walks of life: the core MMORPG titles AION Classic, AION, Runes of Magic and Metin2, the popular anime MMOs Elsword and NosTale, strategy-focused browser games such as OGame and Ikariam as well as indie titles such as Trigon: Space Story.

SIZZLING NEW SUNNYSIDE UPDATE FOR SUMMER’S LAST STRETCH

Quality of life improvements coming in hot!

Manchester, United Kingdom – September 9, 2024 | Developer Rainy Games are cooking up a storm in their newest console update. And it’s not just recipes, massive quality-of-life improvements are coming to the town of SunnySide, too!

Following the success of the console launch, the team has been working hard with the wonderful SunnySide community on Steam and Discord to fine-tune the game and implement feedback. With the new console update, food crafting machines are now also fully controller-supported, for an even more delectable cooking experience. Brave adventurers can rejoice now that their caving progress will be saved in its entirety. No more pesky enemy respawns when they re-enter a level, the team has made sure that the caves below SunnySide now accurately reflect each heroic conquest. 

And that isn’t all — hoarders and organisers will be delighted to know that storage access is now global and remote! That’s right, any storage box can now be accessed from anywhere through the global storage access menu. 

Now is the perfect time to become SunnySide’s newest resident, and join its thriving community. From farming, to cooking to adventuring, this modern take on the traditional farming sim has it all!

For more information, check out the latest news on Merge Games’ website, or follow them on Twitter/X. Players looking to keep up to date with the latest from RainyGames, can check out their Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok or join the Discord community and play an active role in improving SunnySide.

About Maximum Entertainment

Maximum Entertainment is a global entertainment company dedicated to crafting indie to AA video game experiences through original content and licensed partnerships. A fully integrated group with a broad portfolio of content, the company emphasizes collaboration and inclusivity in its partnerships to produce the highest level of interactive entertainment. With more than 300 titles in its catalog, Maximum Entertainment has joined forces with talented creators and renowned franchises around the globe to deliver magic to the gamer in everyone. Maximum Entertainment employs experienced professionals across the entire value chain of video games including development, publishing, transmedia, sales, and operations. Visit Maximum Entertainment at www.maximument.com.

About RainyGames

RainyGames is an international indie gaming studio based in the US and UK. With a studio mission to challenge conventional genre norms and create innovative, inclusive video games, RainyGames aims to foster diversity and community through empathetic fiction, self-expression, and harmony. Led by Siavash (Rainy) Shahlaei and Sydney Stockdale, RainyGames always strives to maintain a transparent and honest company that puts the players ahead of profits while always making a point to speak out for those with smaller or quieter voices. At RainyGames, video games are more than just a fun pastime or hobby, but rather are beautiful pieces of art that can and will heavily impact the lives of all those who interact with them. For this reason, every project at RainyGames will always come from the heart. Visit RainyGames at www.rainygames.co.uk.

Celebrating 30 years of PlayStation: My First GT, digital soundtracks and more

As we celebrate the release of ASTRO BOT, Team ASOBI’s tribute to 30 years of iconic PlayStation characters, stories, and magical moments, PlayStation Australia wants to thank you, the players, for the love and passion you’ve shown for PlayStation. While PlayStation’s 30th anniversary is still a few months away, today PlayStation Australia is delighted to share some of the ways they’ll be commemorating this milestone with all of you.

Explore a nostalgic homage to the original Gran Turismo, enjoy digital soundtracks from classic PlayStation games, and compete in PlayStation Tournaments – these are just a few of the ways PlayStation Australia is inviting you to join the community celebration, which starts this month.

And for everyone excited to jump into ASTRO BOT, PlayStation Australia is pleased to share a first look at a 30th anniversary photo opportunity located in the game’s central hub where Bots you’ve saved throughout your spacefaring adventures will hang out, ready to dance along with your stylish moves.

An early look at what’s ahead

My First GT  

This holiday period, look forward to a free trial version designed to attract players of all skill levels to the globally acclaimed Gran Turismo 7. This upcoming release will include some of the favourite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience. Look out for more details on My First GT, available to all PS5 and PS4 players this holiday period.

Digital game soundtracks. 

In collaboration with Sony Music, each month from October through January, PlayStation will release, for the first time, on Spotify a set of digital soundtracks from fan-favourite franchises. You’ll be able to stream the following game soundtracks on Spotify or purchase them on various digital music storefronts, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, and participating music retailers:

  • God of War
  • God of War II
  • God of War: Ghost of Sparta
  • Twisted Metal
  • Starhawk
  • Unit 13

You can also vibe to the specially curated PlayStation 30th Anniversary playlist on Spotify, available to stream today. PlayStation Australia will have more to share on the upcoming digital soundtrack releases, which will be added to this playlist over time, so stay tuned!

Free online multiplayer weekend and esports tournaments 

Join PlayStation Australia later this month for a free online multiplayer weekend and exciting esports tournaments! To celebrate the fantastic online games and communities on PlayStation, there will be a free online multiplayer weekend on Sept. 21 and 22.* During those days, you can enjoy online multiplayer for games you own without having a PlayStation Plus membership, on PS5 and PS4 consoles.

During the same weekend, PlayStation will host a series of PS5 esports tournaments, featuring titles like NBA 2K24, NBA 2K25, EA UFC 5 and Tekken 8. If you own any of these games and qualify, you can compete on Sept 21 and 22 to win a special 30th anniversary-themed avatar and other game-specific prizes. Players on PS5 can sign up via the Game Hub or the in-game PlayStation Tournaments button. Keep an eye on compete.playstation.com for all the upcoming tournament details.

Image of the PlayStation avatars players will receive for participating in any of the Sept. 21 – 22 esports tournaments.

As PlayStation celebrates 30 years of play, these upcoming activities and releases are just a taste of what’s to come. Be on the lookout for more announcements in the near future!

*Available for PS5 and PS4 games with online mode. Internet connection and account for PlayStation Network required.

To learn more about the full line up visit the PlayStation Blog

For the latest PlayStation news, follow PlayStation Australia on FacebookTwitterYouTube, and Instagram

Check out new DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO characters in this trailer

Discover new characters coming to DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO,with atrailer featuring characters from the iconic Majin Buu saga.

The Buu Saga is the last of the DRAGON BALL Z anime series. This arc introduces the legendary Majin Buu, a powerful and unpredictable villain who threatens the universe and had been sealed for millions of years. The Z Fighters must then unite to defeat Buu and save the world.

Brace yourself for the new battle, the ultimate challenge awaits:

The latest Buu Saga character trailer reveals Super Buu (Gotenks Absorbed), Super Buu (Gohan Absorbed), and Kid Buu, expanding the game’s roster of playable characters. Kid Buu is the original form of Majin Buu, known for his pure evil and immense destructive power. Super Buu (Gotenks Absorbed) is a fusion of Majin Buu and Gotenks, known for his incredible speed and power. Super Buu (Gohan Absorbed) is a powerful form created when Majin Buu absorbs Gohan.

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO will launch on 11 October 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

For more information about DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO and other titles from Bandai Namco Europe please visit: https://www.bandainamcoent.eu, or follow us on Instagram. Join the conversation on X.

©Bird Studio/Shueisha, Toei Animation – ©Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

The Casting of Frank Stone Review

The Casting of Frank Stone

Developer: Supermassive Games
Publisher: Behaviour Interactive
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S (Reviewed), PlayStation 5
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $39.99 USD – Available Here

Overview

Supermassive Games has worked on a variety of titles since their founding, but they have truly become known for their adventure horror games, bookended by two stellar standalone entries with Until Dawn and The Quarry with the shorter Dark Pictures Anthology series settled right in the middle. As such, when it was revealed that Behaviour Interactive would be teaming up with the studio to develop their first ever story based Dead by Daylight game, it came as a great surprise to both fans of horror games and the asymmetrical multiplayer title alike. Telling a story that looks to expand upon the lore of the world it’s based on, is The Casting of Frank Stone a worthwhile scare or a poor ghost story trying to prop itself up on existing popularity?

Story

Now, before we get into the actual story the biggest question most will likely have about The Casting of Frank Stone is whether or not it requires a lot of knowledge or investment in the Dead by Daylight universe to actually enjoy it and the answer to that is, a little. For the most part players unfamiliar with the greater lore will still be able to enjoy most of what is shown throughout the game as the writers do a solid enough job fleshing out events to keep those looking for a new adventure horror feeling like they are sticking with the game without feeling lost. As for those who are familiar with Dead by Daylight, it will become quite evident just how many easter eggs, references, straight up call-outs to the multiplayer game, and more are dropped and referenced from beginning to end.

The Casting of Frank Stone tells a tale across three time periods spanning quite a few decades apart, with Sam Green facing off against the twisted killer in 1963 in the steel mill, a group of ambitiously dumb teens eager to film a movie right there in that same shut down steel mill in 1980, and finally a group of strangers arriving in a far off mansion in 2024, called to sell their pieces of the film strip made back in 1980. It is worth noting that since the 1963 time period serves as basically the prologue only, the majority of the time players will be spending is with two mostly separate groups of characters with the plot jumping back and forth between timeframes as chapters progress. 

The storyline throughout 1980 is an interesting one and perhaps the most “horror” filled among the rest as it tries its best to establish these characters as ones that players want to root for but does a pretty poor job about it, mostly thanks to the fact that interactions are kept so basic and minimal. Oddly enough, The Casting of Frank Stone easily features the least amount of actual character interaction of most Supermassive Games which does its already weak cast further disservice. Ironically, the only two characters that serve as any standouts among the group happen to be the blunt Linda who only grows more sardonic with age and Sam who retains his presence throughout all three time spans, ironically with the most variation depending on how things play out as well. It also doesn’t help that the titular character, Frank Stone himself, is barely in the game at all. Despite making an appearance across three timelines, he feels like only the most basic of threats in two instances entirely. Even then, with players gathering collectables to help expand the lore of the world and Frank a bit, it really makes him feel like a rather poorly thought out killer despite all of Augustine’s machinations.

The current setting in 2024 is where many of the mysteries finally come to light. Players will meet with the mysterious Augustine whose mansion is filled with haunting curiosities and eventual danger that brings most of the plot to its head, even if players can’t ultimately change too much in the end. Now, that isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of choices to be made and nowhere is that more evident than a brand new mechanic we’ll detail more later called the Cutting Room Floor which shows just how many branching and alternative paths scenes can go depending on what actions or choices players have made up to certain points, including the ability to reload at the nearest “playable” section to try a different path.

What we mean here is, the actual ending of the game is something of a letdown despite being a perfectly fitting one given the lore. After playing through a few times and changing things up, the final sequences remain almost rigidly strict with only slight variations depending on who may or may not be alive or have a certain item on them, though even this changes little. Ironically this makes the whole “Your choices have consequences” mantra from the game feel like a bit of a lie this time around, especially with how many variations the usual Supermassive offering can end up with. While still offering a plethora of branching paths and potential deaths at various random choices of failed QTEs, it really feels like there are few scares to even be had as well, something that is rather disappointing considering the setting. In fact, it almost feels like things are being held back by the setting at times, the writers not willing to brush too closely against the direct lore of Dead by Daylight beyond the Entity’s existence and fleshing it out a bit more as well. 

Gameplay

For the most part, anyone familiar with Supermassive Games’ past works will feel right at home here with only a few exceptions. Players will still spend the majority of every chapter exploring a small environment, gathering the occasional collectable referencing Dead by Daylight or “artifact” that tends to expand the game’s backstory while also taking part in various button mashing sequences to succeed certain actions, aiming a reticle at a target during combat or quick time events as well. The quick time events have undergone a change to make them like Dead by Daylight, instead they are now “skill checks” with a slider that has a fail and success range. Oddly enough, getting a “great” check only matters when repairing the game’s generators in a manner similar to that of DbD.

Otherwise players will still find themselves making dialogue choices that will play a factor into how much certain characters like one another or not and making certain choices that will play into their “fate” that can spell either success or a possible death sometime further along in the game. It is interesting to note that, while there are actually very few collectables compared to other entries from the developer, players can unlock additional dialogue options occasionally if they find a specific item before talking to a character. Along these same lines, there are small little puzzles that players will occasionally need to solve, though the answers are almost always in the same room or just about and the return of moving boxes around to reach climbable locations also returns though it is used a bit more this time. It is worth noting that some mechanics such as “hold your breath” or the rhythm based heartbeat events do not return in The Casting of Frank Stone, nor does the company’s signature “premonition” items that can hint at future events.

Speaking of differences, The Casting of Frank Stone does incorporate one brand new mechanic as, halfway through the game, the film crew’s Super 8 style camera becomes magically imbued and capable of being a weapon used against Stone. These segments see players needing to pull out the camera to focus on Stone in an effort to absorb his spiritual life force and drive him away in an effort to keep everyone alive. Unfortunately, since his appearance is marked by the same glowing red of killers in Dead by Daylight as well as the obviously glowing camera indicator, players will rarely feel shocked when he appears. In fact, it feels like a missed opportunity for the camera to not reveal hidden secrets or something else along those lines as the potential for uncovering more supernatural elements left behind by Stone and the Entity’s dark influence would have made things far more interesting.

Now, perhaps the most useful feature is one that unlocks after players beat the game at least once and it happens to be the “Cutting Room Floor.” This feature, as mentioned before, allows players to see all of the choices that they have made in the past as well as how many different branches that choice may trigger off into. This can then be used to revisit any of these playable locations and make a different choice to see how things might have played out otherwise or gather a collectable they missed. It is a bit unfortunate however that despite having an offering that allows some very free flowing choice changes, there is actually no way to skip previously seen dialogue still,  meaning if players want to change something that happened right at the end of a sequence, they’ll need to watch everything again. Despite this clunky replay feature, it is appreciated especially since it does reveal just how many branching paths this game has and it would be great if Supermassive considered this type of mechanic for all of their titles going forward.

Audio & Visuals

It must be said that Supermassive Games has done a wonderful job designing the appearances and character models for the cast. They are expressive and have quite a bit of detail to them, especially whenever something gruesome happens. Some of the best looking scenes ironically involve someone getting torn apart, sliced in half, or some other form of mauling as a lot of attention has been paid to making sure there is plenty of gore. Along these same lines the developer has made the various environments players explore spooky in nature and have some rather unique looking rooms in them, especially in the mansion, but unfortunately makes the grave sin of having players go back through these same small locations countless times. In fact, one location saw over four revisits throughout the course of the game, with absolutely nothing changed between trips. There also tends to be some rather noticeable texture pop-in on the Xbox Series X, with most scene transitions taking an extra second to pop everything into full resolution.

The voice work throughout the game is a bit on the hit and miss side, with some actors clearly putting in more effort than others here. Linda, Sam, and Augustine sound excellent compared to most of the other characters, though if one were to suppose that Supermassive was looking to capture the “campy 80s horror” voice work than they’ve surely captured it for the rest of the cast. Thankfully the soundtrack makes a much better impression with a great number of fitting horror themes as well as some perfectly worked in tracks from Dead by Daylight itself to help make specific moments make fans feel right at home.

Overall

The Casting of Frank Stone is at its best when it’s delving into cosmic horrors as well as the very real supernatural horrors that its characters must try to survive against, but those moments are unfortunately very few and take quite a long time to get to. The characters themselves are a mixed bag that struggle to make players care about them even if the overarching plot is actually rather interesting with the various twists it can take and how player choice factors in, at least on the journey. Unfortunately, these issues as well as how repetitive it feels at times make this feel like a bit of a letdown for even die hard Dead by Daylight fans and one that will only be seen as a serviceable but unimpressive offering for those unfamiliar with the property.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

FREE ‘ARK: ABERRATION ASCENDED’ EXPANSION PACK AND ‘BOB’S TALL TALES: STEAMPUNK ASCENT’ NOW AVAILABLE

Alan Tudyk Joins Karl Urban and Auliʻi Cravalho in Bob’s Tall Tales as Voice of New Robot Companion SIR-5rM8; Two New ARK Experiences Explore the Lethal Underground Ecosystem; AMD FidelityFX Frame Interpolation Increases Frame Rates by Over 80%

Strap on your goggles and gear-up for an incomparable journey into the dark heart of Aberration! This hauntingly beautiful, derelict ARK is a sci-fi themed, vertigo-inducing, bioluminescent cave system. Survivors will drop onto a damaged, radioactive ARK, featuring a myriad of lush underground biomes containing exotic new creatures and gear to be acquired or crafted, along with dangerous surprises and horrors untold. All ARK: Survival Ascended owners get this massive ARK: Aberration Ascended Expansion Pack for free, along with that dark world’s new community-voted creature, Yi Ling, a giant bat-winged dinosaur.

Watch the NEW combo trailer with ARK: Aberration Ascended & Steampunk Ascent below.

Meanwhile, ARK: Survival Ascended today released its initial implementation of AMD FidelityFX Frame Interpolation, resulting in an +80% average frame rate boost on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC for most GPU’s.

Also newly available today is Bob’s Tale TalesSteampunk Ascent! This second entry in the larger-than-life Bob’s Tall Tales series takes you beyond the underground chaos of Aberration and into a world where gears, cogs, and steam power reign supreme! The saga is narrated by ARK’s legendary “Bob” (Karl Urban, The Boys) to young Meeka, (Auliʻi Cravalho, Moana), recounting his absolutely pivotal role within ARK’s epic storyline.

Each entry in Bob’s Tall Tales delivers unique creatures and vehicles, and with Steampunk Ascent, you can defy the subterranean depths by Zeppelin Airship, swing from luminous spider-silk strands with the new ‘Cosmo’ tame, and meet SIR-5rM8 (voiced by Alan Tudyk, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) a trusty clockwork-robot companion! Gum up adversaries with viscid projectiles, and even evade attacks with a wondrous watch that allows you to slip backwards to safety! SIR-5rM8 will be at your side to help brave the lethal underworld while also automating all domestic survival chores. Additionally, within Steampunk Ascent, players will unlock:

  • 3 New Weapons & Tools
  • 11 New Structures
  • 40+ Cosmetic Structure Skins
  • 15 New Player Character Cosmetics
  • 1 New Creature Saddle Cosmetic

The final Bob’s Tall Tale – Wasteland War – will be released alongside the Extinction Expansion Pack in late 2024.

Steampunk Ascent introduces Cosmo, a web-slinging tame, and a new gear-shifting steampunk-themed adventure.

Haven’t yet experienced ARK: Survival Ascended? The base game is on sale for 33% off (Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S), while Bob’s Tall Tales DLC is 20% off and Fantastic Tames: Pyromane is 20% off. 

Partner up with SIR-5rM8, your indispensable automaton companion, as you traverse the mechanical marvel of Steampunk Ascent.

ARK: Aberration Ascended Gameplay Features

  • Harsh and Dark! Aberration places survivors on a damaged ARK whose internal atmosphere has leaked away, resulting in a harsh surface with intense radiation, and a plethora of lush biomes underground. With the maintenance systems of this ARK malfunctioning, the many hazards, creatures, and nature of the environment present a treacherous new world to explore and master. Navigate your way down to the deepest depths of Aberration to discover the ancient terror that lurks within…
  • New Creatures! Encounter, capture, and tame 15 new creature types with amazing abilities, including the feathered fiend Yi Ling! This unique creature has a flair for the dramatic—part raptor, part rogue, and all sharp edges. Yi Ling joins other Aberration specific creatures, including among others, the self-camouflaging ‘Rock Drake’ and the luminous ‘Lantern Pets.’
  • Craft 50+ Unique Items! With 30 new Engrams to speed your crafting, you’ll now have access to cave-climbing picks, gliding wingsuits, and ziplines to traverse this new ARK. Survivors can dominate the harsh environment and protect themselves with hazmat outfits, charge lanterns, flashbangs, batteries, glowsticks, railguns and much more. Thrive by gathering new resources, using fishing baskets, and gas collectors.

The definitive survival experience returns better than ever with ARK: Survival Ascended! Create a Survivor, form a tribe, and then tame, train, breed & ride dinosaurs within a living ecosystem. ASA is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam

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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Since revealing its flagship game ARK: Survival Evolved in 2015, Studio Wildcard has tirelessly strived to bring its dinosaur-filled vision to the masses. With millions of players worldwide, the team has delivered an amazing amount of new content and leveraged cutting-edge technology to keep fans engaged. With a transmedia universe, the ARK story can be discovered on all gaming platforms, within spin-off titles, and now as a new epic narrative featuring a star-studded cast in ARK: The Animated Series on Paramount+. www.studiowildcard.com

Valhalla awaits in this Norse mythology themed, apocalyptic bundle!

9/6/2024 – For immediate release – Manavoid Entertainment launches roguelike city-builder Roots of Yggdrasil today out of Early Access and into 1.0 with a new update “Valkyrie’s Lament“. Roots of Yggdrasil launches with a 20% discount and a pause on price increase for the next 7 days along with a Daily Deal on Steam to celebrate its 1.0 launch.

To further celebrate the post-Ragnarok city-builder, Manavoid is partnering up with friendly Quebec studios Norsfell and Thunder Lotus Games to create the ultimate nordic-themed Steam Bundle “Valhalla Awaits“.

Tribes of Midgard by Norsfell is a vibrant blend of survival and action RPG for 1-10 players that surpassed half a million sales on PC and PlayStation in the game’s first week alone.

Jotun – Valhalla Edition, the first game from indie studio Thunder Lotus Games, is a hand-drawn action/exploration game inspired by the epic stories of Norse mythology. Thunder Lotus Games then went on to release Spiritfarer in 2020 – nominated for Best Independent Game in 2020 and receiving the Editor’s Choice award by IGN with a stellar 9/10 rating – and has since announced their new title 33 Immortals which is a co-op action-roguelike for 33 players currently in Early Access.

The bundle will be available for the entire month with the best savings during Week 1 (Sept 6 – 13).