December 2021

Beautiful City-Builder Game Townscaper Now Has a Free Web Demo

2 years 3 months ago

Townscaper is easily one of the most beautiful games to have released this year. It sports a lovely Venetian-themed setting, where your little buildings and hamlets are surrounded entirely by water. Players click around to build new structures and construct little cities, and the fresh watercolor palette just adds to the relaxing charm of the game.

If you’re still on the fence for this one, developer Oskar Stalberg has just announced via Twitter that a web demo of the game is now available.

Simply head to this link and you can start playing the game for free on your web browser of choice. It’s also available on Steam, but this could be a more convenient option for players who want an easier way of accessing the game and want an idea of what it’s like before making the purchase.

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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The Matrix Resurrections’ Deja Vu Trailer Teases Huge Changes to the Timeline

2 years 3 months ago

The Matrix Resurrections is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing and enigmatic film releases of the year, and the latest teaser trailer only serves to highlight that. Warner Brothers has just released a new trailer for the movie, titled Deja Vu, and you can check it out for yourself down below:

The first movie explained that experiencing a moment of deja vu meant that there was a glitch in the Matrix, and it happens when someone has changed something. And that looks to be the key sticking point in Resurrections.

The trailer shows off plenty of iconic scenes from the previous movies, overlaid with new characters and little differences that are just a little off from how we remember them. With the reboot of the franchise, it seems we’re also getting a reboot of the Matrix itself, and it’s exciting to see how it will all play out.

The Matrix Resurrections will air in theaters on Dec. 12.

The post The Matrix Resurrections’ Deja Vu Trailer Teases Huge Changes to the Timeline appeared first on Twinfinite.

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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Stardew Valley, Halo Infinite & More Coming to Xbox Game Pass this Month

2 years 3 months ago

It’s no secret that Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service has been knocking it out of the park ever since its inception, and it’s looking like it’ll be closing out 2021 with a bang as well. Microsoft has just announced the December 2021 lineup for Game Pass, and it includes plenty of exciting games for fans to get into.

With Halo Infinite just a few days away from release, it’ll also be made available on Game Pass on Dec. 8 so if you’re already subscribed to the service, you’re all set. In addition to that, we’re also getting the critically acclaimed indie darling Stardew Valley, as well as Among Us.

If you haven’t already dipped your toes into either of these indie games, there’s no excuse now.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is also getting added to the lineup, joining its predecessor FFXIII. It’s a direct continuation of the story, and features Serah Farron and newcomer Noel as its main playable characters. Here’s the full lineup for December:

December 2

  • Anvil
  • Archvale
  • Final Fantasy XIII-2
  • Lawn Mowing Simulator
  • Rubber Bandits
  • Stardew Valley
  • Warhammer 40K: Battlesector

December 7

  • Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator

December 8

  • Halo Infinite

December 9

  • One Piece Pirate Warriors 4

December 14

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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Brazillian Indie Studio Alt/Reality Revealed & Teases First Character

2 years 3 months ago

Today we learn that a brand new independent development studio named Alt/Reality has opened in Brazil.

The studio, directed and founded by Lucas Ricardo (who previously worked in QA on games like Pillars of Eternity 2 and The Banner Saga 3) has revealed the design of one of the characters that have been created for an upcoming game.

You can find the full version of the artwork at the bottom of the post.

While it’s too early to hear about specific titles, we received an introduction via press release, which you can read below.

“This brand new studio is built by a talented Brazilian team, under the creative leadership of Lucas Ricardo (Creative Director and founder, former QA for games like Pillars of Eternity 2 and The Banner Saga 3). Alt/Reality aims to deliver projects that cover a wide range of themes, with titles that go from Medieval settings to futuristic and sci-fi universes. Although, our differential falls under what our players will be able to do in each of our upcoming games…

For every title, we will consider gameplay, movements, and animation based on martial arts, special powers, melee combat, and weapons. Firearms will be the least of your concerns since every character can be turned into a whole weapon by itself. At the moment, we have 1 title in active development and a lot of other projects already in consideration. We expect you to have fun while unleashing all your skills with combos and strategic actions using the environment. If you love good ol’ fun combat, impactful characters, and some weird stuff and sense of humor, we probably have something for you.”

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Super Animal Royale Season 2 Start Date Announced

2 years 3 months ago

A tweet has announced that Season 2 of free-to-play battle royale Super Animal Royale will be starting December 14. There is even a hint of what is to come with the new season.

The announcement tweet reads:

It’s about dam time.

Season 2, a new map location, Super Animal breeds, CRISPRmas, and more arrive in our next update on Tuesday, December 14th.

The “dam time” seems to hint that the new map location will indeed be a dam. Maybe somewhere in the sparse south with the Goldwood Woods. With Howloween taking up a good portion of October and the lack of a Thanksgiving event, CRISPRmas sounds to be a new seasonal event.

While the tweeted image does feature a beaver, they have long been shown in connection to the game’s updates. With that, it is unlikely they will be among the promised “Super Animal breeds,” but they remain a possible inclusion with season 2.

The new season will no doubt include a new battle pass. The best part of the battle passes in Super Animal Royale is that they never expire, so if you were among those who purchased the Season 1 battle pass, you will still be able to progress through it even if you decide to purchase season 2’s.

Author
Cameron Waldrop

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Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Trailer Shows Your Custom Character’s Adventure

2 years 3 months ago

Today Koei Tecmo released a brand new Japanese trailer of the upcoming Dynasty Warriors game Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires.

This time around, the trailer doesn’t focus on the famous warlords that the series is famous for, albeit they do appear. It focuses on pur custom character, from his creation and customization to his rise to glory.

Incidentally, the demo promised a few days ago has been released in Japan.

You can watch it below.

Here’s how Koei Tecmo describes the game.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Dungeon & Fighter Fighting Game DNF Duel by Arc System Works Shows Grappler in New Trailer

2 years 3 months ago

Today Nexon released another trailer of the upcoming fighting game DNF Duel, inspired by the Dungeon Fighter franchise (also known as Dungeon & Fighter in Korea).

The trailer focuses on one of the available characters, the grappler, showing his hand-to-hand combat move.

As usual, it feels very familiar if you compare them to Arc System Works’ games. This shouldn’t surprise since Nexon hired the popular Japanese fighting game developer to create the game. The previous trailer featuring the Berserker and the one showing the Inquisitor give the same feeling.

You can check it out and see for yourself below.

Dungeon Fighter Online is quite popular worldwide (admittedly a lot more in Asia than in the west) and the game has social media accounts in English, so we might certainly expect a western release.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Switch Sides & Play as a Boss in Ghostrunner Project_Hel DLC Expansion

2 years 3 months ago

Ghostrunner, the cyberpunk parkour-slasher is getting even more content with a new DLC expansion coming in early 2022, with Project_Hel letting players switch sides and become one of the bosses from the base game. As a story-driven expansion, this new content will focus on the game’s second boss, Hel, who will bring her own progression system alongside more combat options.

A total of six missions will come in Project_Hel, with the originally planned scope for this Ghostrunner DLC expanded into something much more. The DLC will see Hel descend the Dharma Tower, with new enemies, bosses, and even more music as part of the package.

Players can also look forward to a free cosmetics bundle courtesy of publisher 505 Games just in time for the holiday season. The Holiday Pack will arrive on December 7, and includes a selection of festive swords and matching gloves.

Interested players can sign up for an early private beta of Project_Hel for Ghostrunner before launch, and you can get your name in the credits as an added sweetener.

You can check out the teaser of Project_Hel below:

Author
Jake Su

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Nvidia Is Releasing A New 12GB RTX 2060 To Address Shortages

2 years 3 months ago

Earlier this year, Nvidia promised to release new stock of older GPUs, with the current generation of cards still plagued by supply shortages. It's coming through on that promise now, The Verge reports, releasing new RTX 2060s with 12GB of video RAM--double what the 2060 originally released with in 2019.

The re-release is intended to give more decently-priced options for gamers who may be struggling to find affordable cards even on the secondary market. It's likely the RTX 2060 was originally chosen to be re-released as it doesn't contain the same components rumored to be causing manufacturing bottlenecks for newer hardware.

Nvidia has said that the new 2060 cards should be available starting December 7, though no indication on pricing has been given so far. In a statement to The Verge, the company indicated that the new cards would most likely cost more than the RTX 2060's original release price of $349. "It is a premium version of the RTX 2060 6GB and we expect the price to reflect that," a spokesperson said.

The specs for the new Founders Edition RTX 2060 can be found here. As well as the boosted video RAM, the card looks to have a few other slight improvements on the 2019 version, including a higher base clock speed and increased CUDA cores.

Author
Hayley Williams

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Halo Infinite Doesn't Have Grifball Yet, So Play It In Halo: MCC

2 years 3 months ago

If you're hoping to get out your gravity hammer and get stuck into Grifball, there's some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Grifball is back right now in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The bad news is that it's not coming to Halo Infinite, as fans hoped it might--at least not yet.

Grifball, the sport-themed game mode involving bombs and gravity hammers, was originally created as a gag for Rooster Teeth's Red vs Blue series, and later was developed into a fan-made game mode, before finally being officially adopted into the series. These days it regularly rotates into Halo: The Master Chief Collection's playlists.

Some fans had hoped that Grifball would make its debut in the newly-released Halo Infinite multiplayer, however. 343 Industries still hasn't announced whether the game mode will be a part of the latest Halo game, but it's still early days with the game's single-player campaign only due to release on December 8.

We can hope that Grifball will eventually make its way to Halo Infinite--perhaps in 2022, once the single player campaign has been released--but for now fans can still get stuck into a game of Grifball or two in the Master Chief Collection.

Author
Hayley Williams

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Version 13.0.1 Patch Notes: The Final Fighter Adjustment

2 years 3 months ago

After announcing the patch earlier this week, Nintendo has released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's 13.0.1 update, the patch including the final adjustments to the playable roster.

The company has confirmed this will be the last update to Smash Ultimate that will impact the playable roster, though the Tweet announcing the patch's launch did say "other updates to fix potential bugs may be released in the future."

In all, 24 of the 86 fighters on the roster have had some sort of change made, including the newest addition: Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Ryu from Street Fighter is one of the biggest beneficiaries from this final update, which adds power to his neutral special Hadoken while decreasing his vulnerability during his side special Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. Piranha Plant, Meta Knight, and Mega Man also received a few positive adjustments.

Author
Jason Fanelli

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New Muv-Luv Alternative Anime Battle Scene Is So Fire That They Made It Into a Spectacular Trailer

2 years 3 months ago

Following the airing of episode 9 of the Muv-Luv Alternative anime series, Avex released a new trailer.

The video is basically a condensed version of the episode’s absolutely epic battle scenes, which is likely up there with the best mecha scenes in the history of anime. It’s no surprise that Avex is using it to promote the series.

Incidentally, the scene includes a line that has achieved legendary meme status among Muv-Luv fans.

If you think what you’ll see below is good, the full episode (currently aired on Crunchyroll in the west) is even better, and the next one promises to be even more spectacular.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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EVE: Ghost Enemies for PS4 & Switch Announced; It’s a Sequel to EVE: Burst Error & Rebirth Terror

2 years 3 months ago

Today El Dia announced EVE: Ghost Enemies, a direct sequel to the legendary visual novel EVE: Burst Error and its own sequel EVE: Rebirth Terror.

The visual novel follows the events of Rebirth Terror, bringing back protagonists Kojiro Amagi and Marina Hojo.

As in the previous games, the story is narrated alternating both points of view.

It’ll release in Japan for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on April 21, 2022. It’ll be priced 8,800 yen for the physical edition, 7,700 yen for the digital one, and 9,900 yen for the limited edition. Someone at El Dia definitely had fun with numbers.

Like EVE: Rebirth Terror, the scenario is written by Kasa Sakaki, while the character design will be handled by the original artist, Nao Tajima.

Further members of the cast for EVE: Ghost Enemies and their voice actors will be announced at a later time.

Below you can enjoy the key art depicting the two protagonists ad and a few screenshots.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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What to Expect from Lineage2M

2 years 3 months ago

WHAT IS LINEAGE2M?

Based in the fantasy universe of Lineage, Lineage2M is a mobile MMORPG set in the open world of Aden full of monsters, treasure, and adventure alike.

So, what exactly differentiates Lineage2M in a crowded genre?

Lineage2M is here, and developer NCSOFT aims to bring a host of innovations to the genre. From a vast, seamless open world; to bosses that compel both collaboration and competition on a large scale; to gameplay systems that reward you for your playing time -- here are some of the key features you can expect in Lineage2M.

GRAPHICS OPTIMIZED FOR MOBILE AND PC

Lineage2M’s character and environmental visuals don’t stutter even in full 3D on your mobile device. For example, when taking down detailed boss monsters with dozens or hundreds of other players simultaneously, the graphics remain fluid.

Additionally, each class of character has its own distinctive visual stylings that evolve with experience. As you ascend through the ranks of your chosen class, your wardrobe, weapons, armor, and items become more ornate and decorated.

While the game gets into the micro details of patterns and fabrics, Lineage2M’s world of Aden is an estimated 240 million square meters and is incredibly diverse. Due to an emphasis on the smallest details, each village and field has its own unique features and characteristics which are reflected by the bosses who inhabit them, and the items that can be found there.

CHARACTER GROWTH ROOTED IN STEADY PLAYER ENGAGEMENT

Author
mstegosaurus

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Fights in Tight Spaces review - a strategical secret agent beat-'em-up that's almost there

2 years 3 months ago

Fights in Tight Spaces is a turn-based recreation of those moments in spy films, or any kind of action film really, where the hero is suddenly surrounded in an enclosed area and there can't possibly be any way out. Except there obviously is, through a carefully choreographed fight scene, in which we get to see just how hard our hero is. They swirl around, a blur of arms and elbows, and all of a sudden enemies are punching each other and looking very confused, and a gun goes off, and someone's fighting with a towel for some reason, and then the scene ends in stillness as the hero stands triumphant amid bodies strewn around them. It's textbook stuff.

In Fights in Tight Spaces, you're that hero, a smartly dressed agent working for some James Bond-like organisation trying to take down some criminal organisations. And you have an impressive array of moves up your sleeve. You can leap off walls to propel attacks, you can roll over enemies while acrobatically taking them down, and you can smash heads into scenery. You can even jump-kick enemies either side of you, which is something I've always wanted to be able to do but I always end up kicking the television.

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Author
Robert Purchese

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PlayStation Partner Awards Pay Homage to Successful Japanese Games; Tales of Arise, Final Fantasy XIV, NieR, and More

2 years 3 months ago

Today Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the first batch of games honored in this year’s PlayStation Partner Awards.

Unlike previous years, a ceremony isn’t being held, but the results have been announced via a special video.

The Partner Awards, which honor games by Japanese and Asian developers that have been particularly noteworthy from October 2020 to September 2021 and ranked highly in sales (including physical, digital, and DLC) worldwide are as follows:

  • Tales of Arise
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2
  • NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…

We also hear about the Special Awards, which have been announced as follows:

Apex Legends as the game developed by a foreign developer that achieved the highest sales in Japan and Asia during the period mentioned above.

Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin as the indie game developed in Japan or Asia that achieved the highest sales worldwide.

Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition as a game developed by Japanese or Asian developers that achieved particularly noteworthy results during the launch period of the PS5.

You can check out the video below. It included English subtitles that can be activated with the cc button.

More awards will be announced tomorrow, and you can also check out the results from last year, when the awards had an actual ceremony.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Demon Gaze Extra Western Release for PS4 & Nintendo Switch Delayed by a Month

2 years 3 months ago

Today Clouded Leopard Entertainment announced that the North American and European release of Kadokawa Games’ JRPG Demon Gaze Extra has been delayed.

The game was supposed to launch on December 9, 2021, and will now come on January 6, 2022, for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

It will include  Japanese and English voiceovers, while subtitles will be in English, Traditional Chinese, and Korean.

Demon Gaze Extra is an enhanced port of the original game developed by dungeon-crawling JRPG masters at Experience Inc. It launched in 2013 for PS Vita placing the player in the role Oz, a young man with a Magic Eye that lets him control demons.

It’s also the sequel of Students of the Round, which was released in 2010 for PSP, Xbox One, and PC.

Here’s a detailed description of the enhancements:

“While the original DEMON GAZE had its fans, some players may have been discouraged by its
challenging gameplay style.
In DEMON GAZE EXTRA, various elements have been tweaked, including the addition of a highspeed battle function, a retry function, and an enhanced autopilot function. Now, even dungeon

RPG beginners need not fear!
The enhanced autopilot function is a streamlined version of the revolutionary feature from the
original DEMON GAZE. This, along with the addition of a high-speed battle function speeds up
repeated battles in dungeons, allowing players to explore labyrinths more easily. In addition, DEMON
GAZE EXTRA has a retry function that allows players to go back to the beginning of a battle and try
again in the event of a defeat.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Part of Fortnite's big Chapter 2 finale has leaked

2 years 3 months ago

Just two days away from the end of Fortnite's second Chapter, the game has suffered a monumental leak which reveals the fate of its current, second Island.

Fortnite is due to end this Chapter in dramatic style via a one-off live event this Saturday, 4th December at 9pm UK time. But footage revealing a climactic part of the event has now surfaced, apparently via an ad on Tiktok.

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Author
Tom Phillips

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Six US states pressure Activision Blizzard to make "sweeping changes"

2 years 3 months ago

The calls for change at Activision Blizzard are continuing - and now treasury officials from six US states are getting involved.

Treasurers from the states of California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Delaware and Nevada have collectively asked to meet with Activision Blizzard's board to discuss the company's response to the recent allegations of sexual harassment, assault and inappropriate behaviour.

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Author
Tom Phillips

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