Tuesday news, the sequel:
Surely 'Marines vs God' is the game name of the year
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/surely-marines-vs-god-is-the-game-name-of-the-year/
Every so often you're browsing Steam's upcoming releases, and a game's name makes you do one of those cartoon spit-takes. Say hello to Marines Vs God, in development from no less than the Marines Vs God Team. It is an eight-person PvP game where seven players bellow "ooh-ra" and rush forwards with third-person guns a-blazing, while the other controls a giant disembodied hand in a top-down view and does everything they can to screw over the tiny humanoid team.
Too many fan service cameos can 'ultimately cheapen the arcs and the authenticity of these characters' says Dragon Age: The Veilguard's game director
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/too-many-fan-service-cameos-can-ultimately-cheapen-the-arcs-and-the-authenticity-of-these-characters-says-dragon-age-the-veilguards-game-director/
Over just a few games, Dragon Age has produced a lot of well-loved characters, so it's no surprise that fans are constantly asking if their faves are going to show up in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. But look, they can't all show up, BioWare says.
During the Q&A portion of The Veilguard's preview event earlier this month, the team was asked how BioWare decided who to pull from the existing cast and bring into Veilguard as side characters or cameos.
Court orders X to reveal the identities of Genshin Impact leakers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/court-orders-x-to-reveal-the-identities-of-genshin-impact-leakers/
A California court has ordered X to reveal the identities of four Genshin Impact leakers to publisher Cognosphere, saying the company's concerns about First Amendment protections are unwarranted.
>> Will Musk comply or will he repeat what he did in Brazil?
Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights veterans are making a new RPG with a vision of 'Baldur's Gate 3, but Pathfinder, with miniatures'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/baldur-s-gate-and-neverwinter-nights-veterans-are-making-a-new-rpg-with-a-vision-of-baldur-s-gate-3-but-pathfinder-with-miniatures/
Independent RPG developer Ossian Studios has revealed its next project, Pathfinder: The Dragon's Demand. The first full videogame adaptation of Pathfinder's 2nd Edition ruleset, The Dragon's Demand is touted as a fully-featured CRPG with a unique tabletop aesthetic. Ossian is set to launch the game's Kickstarter funding campaign tomorrow, September 24.
The Dragon's Demand immediately sets itself apart with its presentation: Characters are static tabletop miniatures in a world that looks both meticulously crafted but also shiny and toylike, almost as if the action was taking place on the bougiest bespoke dungeon tiles nerd money can buy.
The best VR boxing game, and my favorite VR game in general, is getting a sequel with multiplayer soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/vr/the-best-vr-boxing-game-and-my-favorite-vr-game-in-general-is-getting-a-sequel-with-multiplayer-soon/
I've tried several VR boxing games, and none are better than The Thrill of the Fight. I could use some more variety in the AI opponents' fighting styles, but it feels much more like actual boxing (a hobby of mine) than any of the other games I tried, and I really like the passthrough option, which lets me see the room I'm in so I'm not worried about weaving into my filing cabinet.
It's my favorite VR game in general (I still haven't finished Half-Life: Alyx, I admit), or at least the one I've gotten the most enjoyment and exercise out of. Good news for me, then: There's a sequel in development, and it's coming to early access in November.
Capcom finally explains what a 'deluxe remaster' actually is, then asks which of its series you want to get the treatment next
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/capcom-finally-explains-what-a-deluxe-remaster-actually-is-then-asks-which-of-its-series-you-want-to-get-the-treatment-next/
Capcom's the most curious company in town. The studio has put out a survey asking players what they want next after the release of the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. A bit like the time it asked if you want more Resident Evil remakes, or when it asked if you want Dragon's Dogma 2 DLC, or when it asked if you want more Ace Attorney, or when it asked if you want more Resident Evil remakes (2020 edition).
In a set of questions posted online (via VGC), Capcom asked fans what they thought about the souped-up version of Dead Rising 1 it put out last week. But in among all the questions about which precise aspect of the remaster it was—be it Frank West's excruciatingly high-detail face or the newly three-dimensional audio—that tempted players to pick up the game in the first place, the company is also keen to know if you might maybe, possibly be tempted to pick up another game under the "deluxe remaster" classification it has invented out of thin air.
Blasphemous 2's new expansion and update adds more areas, bosses, and a New Game Plus mode, giving me another reason to suffer through this fantastic metroidvania again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/blasphemous-2s-new-expansion-and-update-adds-more-areas-bosses-and-a-new-game-plus-mode-giving-me-another-reason-to-suffer-through-this-fantastic-metroidvania-again/
It's been over a year since Blasphemous 2 was released, and nearly made me destroy my controller after a particularly rough mini-boss fight. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. And with the announcement of a new expansion and update, it looks like I have no choice but to revisit the rage-inducing metroidvania.
The Mea Culpa expansion adds two new areas and bosses, four quests, an alternative ending for the Penitent One, an apparently familiar weapon and ability, prayers, rosary beads, achievements, and nine OST tracks by Carlos Viola. "Mea Culpa is a premium expansion for Blasphemous 2," reads the announcement post. "The expansion's story centres around Mea Culpa, the lost sword wielded by The Penitent One in the first game."
'I've always released on PC first': Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone discusses why the 1.6 update came to PC before console—'it's sort of a beta test'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/ive-always-released-on-pc-first-stardew-valley-creator-eric-barone-discusses-why-the-16-update-came-to-pc-before-consoleits-sort-of-a-beta-test/
Stardew Valley's 1.6 update has been an ongoing venture for creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone for most of this year, ever since the patch was released on PC in March.
150,000 players flooded back into the cosy game when the update went live, but for the longest time, 1.6 has only been accessible to those playing on PC.
Work on porting the update to console and mobile has taken a lot of time, so much so that Barone even admitted it was encroaching on Haunted Chocolatier's development. But even after Barone announced the release date for console and mobile (November 4), some players were wondering why it's taken so long when the PC update was ready months ago.
>> Console gamers are too entitled and aren’t used to having to wait for a port.
Nervous gulps as Behaviour acquires Darkest Dungeon dev Red Hook a week after killing Dead By Daylight spin-off studio it acquired 2 years ago
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/nervous-gulps-as-behaviour-acquires-darkest-dungeon-dev-red-hook-a-week-after-killing-dead-by-daylight-spin-off-studio-it-acquired-2-years-ago/
Red Hook has been hooked. The Darkest Dungeon dev has been acquired by Behaviour Interactive, the company behind Dead By Daylight.
Which would, in an ideal world, be good news: A mutually beneficial arrangement that gets Red Hook the support it needs to make new games and that gives Behaviour a stake in them. That's certainly how the statements from each company's execs are selling it, anyway. Behaviour CEO Remi Racine says it's part of a plan to "make Behaviour synonymous with horror." Red Hook co-founder Chris Bourassa says the deal will let the studio "[open] the door to new possibilities."
All of which sounds good to me, but the problem is the context. Not only has Behaviour made a chunk of layoffs this year (which, to be fair, makes it far from unique—it's been a terrible time in general to work in game dev), but this announcement comes a mere week after Behaviour closed down Midwinter Entertainment, the team behind ill-fated Dead By Daylight PvE spin-off Project T. Behaviour had acquired Midwinter back in 2022, but killed off the studio—and Project T—after an internal playtest of the game "yielded unsatisfactory overall results."
>> Is buying studios cheaper than keeping the ones you have running?
