Team 17 have revealed the release date for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair with a brand new trailer:
Mix up your gameplay with the return of ‘Tonics’! There are more than 60 game-modifying Tonics in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair which include infinite rolling, harder enemies, and super speed, as well as unlocking new environmental and visual effects! Pre-order Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair and get the exclusive ‘Trowzer’s Top Tonic Pack’ – a collection of four cosmetic Tonics including Large Head Tonic, Glow Worm Tonic, D.I.S.C.O. Tonic and Yooka 64!
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair comes to Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 8th 2019.
Aside from all starting with the letter ‘B’, what do Borderlands, Beavertown, and beer have in common? They’re all brilliant. Check out a little video that talks more about the partnership between Borderlands and Beavertown, with the creation of a brand new beer.
Available only in the UK and aptly titled ‘Bandit Brew’, this 2.8% light IPA is created out of a joint love for action packed gameplay, wild in your face graphics and having a bloody good time. The stealthy ABV slips unseen into the background bringing tropical notes of Pina Colada, passion fruit and fresh citrus forward, complete with a dry, bitter finish that leaves you thirsty for more.
Astroneer, the accessible interplanetary survival sandbox played by more than 3 million space explorers to date, will set a course for the PlayStation stars on Nov. 15 with a physical edition launching in brick and mortar retailers. Ahead of the PS4 release, new content will land on PC and Xbox One with the Explorer Update on Sept. 4.
As announced this afternoon by publisher Gearbox Software at PAX West 2019, intrepid PS4 explorers will be welcomed to Astroneer’s vast, whimsical worlds this fall. The PS4 releasewill feature all content available for Xbox One and PC, in addition to the new PS4 exclusive suit and visor. Brave pioneers that pre-order Astroneer will receive a PS4 theme, complete with music from the soundtrack.
Among this wealth of content is the brand-new Explorer Update on Xbox One and Steam for PC. The Explorer Update introduces the long-awaited jetpack and jump-jet, a host of new items and platforms, and an in-game camera, allowing astroneers to share their galactic journey like never before.
Astroneer celebrates space travel by giving solo players and friends alike a galaxy of planets to explore. Excavate and elevate the land using the game’s Terrain Tool to collect valuable resources for researching new technology. Craft vehicles, build and customize bases, overcome the challenges of diverse biomes, and uncover the secrets at the heart of the solar system.
“The curious minds exploring, terraforming, and unearthing every corner of the Astroneer galaxy make for a collective pioneering spirit echoing that of space travel itself,”said Joe Tirado, Communications Director, System Era Softworks. “We are thrilled for PlayStation 4 pioneers to join this universe and share amazing stories from the stars.”
Astroneer will release Nov. 15 for PS4. Pre-orders are available now via the PlayStation Network. Details on retail availability will be announced in the coming weeks. The Explorer Update, available at launch on PS4, will release Sept. 4 for free on Xbox One and Steam for PC.
For more information, visit the official website or follow Astroneer on Twitter and Facebook..
Remedy has always been a game studio I have kept my eyes on from the amazing Alan Wake games to the very experimental but highly entertaining Quantum Break for Xbox One. When I learned that Remedy were working on a new title I wondered what lessons had been learned from Quantum Break, an Xbox exclusive that unique in that it was combining video games with actual television style full episode’s to further the narrative in between the story telling through the game itself which even had the full backing of a brand new Xbox Entertainment studio although it was closed pretty soon after Quantum Break actually launched. So, what could this new game deliver…. well it was time to find out if I could keep my ‘Control’.
Control is an absolutely fascinating video game in so many ways from the visuals and audio systems used to enhance the incredible level designs to the just bonkers story that feels as though it was inspired by every form of sci-fi show and film ever made. Right from the moment you press start and are transported into the game world, there is a deliberate intention to keep you as the player as confused as to what is happening as it is to the main hero in the game Jesse Faden, a young women who is making her way to the main head office of the Federal Bureau of Control (FCB) based in New York. All the player knows comes from a short bit of narration from Jesse herself as she explains she has been on a journey to investigate and find out why this organisation took her brother away seventeen years ago.
Which is about all you have going into the game from a story point of view, as I said there is a definite desire to keep the player in the dark as to what is happening right from the off and usually this style of story telling can prove to be frustrating but Control uses is rather intelligently in that instead of laying down loads of exposition, it simply introduces you to Jesse and explains why she has gone to the building and then lets the story be discovered rather than told. This works by using the many collectables Jesse can pick up from Company Documents with redacted information to media such as audio and video footage which gives more insight into what the Bureau of Control has been doing.
At first the lack of explanation can leave the player a little baffled especially as the first character you meet is rather mysterious janitor called Ahti who seems to think Jesse is there to apply for the job as his assistant. Right after this you go to the FCB Directors office only to discover the dead body of Zachariah Trench, the now former Director as well as a strange gun lying beside him. Jesse is compelled to pick up the gun, discovering that it is actually something quite extraordinary as weapons go but the strangest thing about it is how the wielder of the gun, known as the service Revolver, instantly becomes the new Director of the FBC meaning that all the actual staff of the FBC now respond to Jesse as the new Director. Jesse soon learns that the FBC has been investigating the paranormal connection of the real world to the astral plain and something has gone very wrong and is centred within the FBC main building, referred to by staff and paperwork as “The Old House”.
This means that Jesse really has two objectives at the start of Control, finding out what happened to her brother Dylan and now finding out what has happened in the FBC. Characters will ask Jesse to complete tasks as the Director, which the player will do because the hope is that by playing along, Jesse will be able to uncover the secrets of the FBC and find her brother. Gameplay comes in the form of the familiar third person action seen in Quantum Break with the Service Gun providing the weapon. But this is not the only attack option Jesse has as she also develops powers such as the very inspired by the Jedi, ‘Launch’ power which is pretty much telekinesis allowing Jesse to pick up objects and ‘launch’ them at enemies. Those enemies come in the form of The Hiss, beings from the astral plane who can take over the body of FBC staff and control them to fight you with conventional guns and grenades. As you progress through the story missions and explore further into the FBC building, Jesse can claim ‘control points’ by clearing the area of any Hiss Enemies and cleansing the point. These points can then serve as fast travel as many of the main missions and indeed the many side missions you can pick up, will require you to go back and forth from areas you have already visited. The game also borrows the Metal Gear Solid system of having levels of clearance which Jesse will need to obtain the correct clearance card to access, most of which are obtained by progressing through the story. To say this game offers a lot for the player to do and it is worth seeking out and completing the side missions in order to obtain materials and experience points needed to upgrade your Service Revolver and abilities.
The Service Revolver has different modes, which essentially turn it into different forms of gun such as a machine pistol, a shot gun for example with two modes able to be carried and switched between on the fly during combat. They can then have mods added to increase their recharge rate or damage. The same applies to Jesse’s abilities and attributes as mods can be added to improve health recovery or energy spent using. There are different tiers of quality for these mods and boosts and they are easily obtained through natural play so there is always a chance to improve your load out because the battles you can find yourself in can range from being a doddle to being an absolute cheap nightmare.
The Hiss can also come in various types from your base standard type with guns to ones that can float, having shields and some that can even heal other Hiss. Then you have Boss type Hiss who can do a lot of damage with every hit which can catch you unaware until you can adapt your loadout to battle them. I did find this one of the most frustrating elements to control until my had enough modifiers to improve the Service Revolver modes and boosts to my abilities. Jesse using her powers felt very much like using Force abilities in The Force Unleashed and the physics in the game allow for some amazing uses of the powers with everything near enough capable of being turned into a weapon to use. A nice touch happens to be if you have thrown everything you can find with Launch, if you aim at the ground or a wall Jesse can rip off cement to hurl about instead.
The level design of each section of the FBC building is staggering really especially when you encounter areas where the astral plan and our reality have started to blend together. There are plenty of puzzles to find and solve as you try to navigate around the building which may depend on abilities you will not learn until further into the game. The best way to describe it would be to imagine what it would be like to have the building inside the TARDIS and discovering it changing around you. Visually the game is just stunning with so much attention to details that bring it more to life as you explore and find more and more secrets via the collectables. There is a downside however to all this if you are playing Control on anything but the Xbox One X. When playing on the X the visuals are sharp and fluid but moving down to the S or even the original Xbox One and performance issues can make Control quite annoying at times. Severe slow down can happen when exiting a menu screen which can take a few seconds to settle down and facial animations when in dialogue scene can come across as stone faced and emotionless. Future game updates have been promised to address these issues but it’s a shame that it can tarnish the experience from what is a real GOTY contender.
Control is a brilliant and mind-bending game to experience and you can see the lessons Remedy have learned from Quantum Break by now blending real film footage into the game engine to add that extra enhanced level of reality to the story telling. The combat is fun and you can feel Jesse becoming more powerful with every new ability she learns and the modifying system is pretty easy to use and navigate to boost those powers further. I loved how the story is left to be discovered and the reward for paying attention to the extra lore and information found in the collectables. Jesse is a fantastic lead character and getting to hear her inner monologue at crucial times is spell binding.
Performance issues aside and hopefully updates and patches will address them, Control is a step forward in how story telling in a sci-fi game can be and Remedy have really found their footing in using the paranormal and science to create worlds for players to be fully immersed in. Action packed and deliciously abstract, Control felt fresh in a gaming year brimming with heavy hitting titles already out and still to come.
Today, Bloober Team, the creative minds behind the critically acclaimed Layers of Fear games, in partnership with Lionsgate, release Blair Witch, the first-person psychological horror game that will have you questioning what you are most afraid of – the iconic witch, the woods, or the evil within. The game invites players to return to the dreadful woods starting today for £23.79/€29.99 on PC via Steam and the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X via the Xbox Games Store and Xbox Game Pass.
Blair Witch offers fans, and players alike, their own descent into madness through an original story inspired by Lionsgate’s iconic Blair Witch franchise. Set in 1996, a young boy disappears in the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland. Players experience the horror as Ellis, a former police officer with a troubled past, accompanied by his trustful canine companion, Bullet. Their story starts as they join the search for the missing boy, but players shortly discover the horrors that await as the woods twist and turn into an endless nightmare. Ellis will have to confront his fears, and his past, along with the mysterious force that haunts the woods.
The first-person experience will study players’ reactions to the many dangers, stresses and tolls that the original story delivers to result in one of various potential playthroughs. In addition to the horrifying psychological experience, there is a balanced display of the beautiful environments, showcased in full in-game 4K; tricking adventurers to feel a sense of relief before venturing even deeper into the home of the iconic Blair Witch. Blair Witch is Xbox One X enhanced for 4K gameplay, along with 4K playability on PC via Steam.
Blair Witch Deluxe Edition is also available for PC players on Steam for £27.99/€34.99. The Deluxe Edition includes Blair Witch, Blair Witch original game soundtrack, and ‘The Art of Blair Witch’. Blair Witch is rated PEGI 16.
In eager anticipation of the forthcoming F2 2019 season, Codemasters has released the first in a new series of videos focusing on the FIA Formula 2 Championship. For the first time in the official videogame’s history, players are now able to choose from both F1 and F2. Fans of F2 were able to play the full 2018 season at launch and, in the coming weeks, Codemasters is set to release an update giving players access to the full 2019 season. The first video can be viewed here –
Paul Jeal, F1 Franchise Director at Codemasters, explains further: “We were delighted to include F2 in F1 2019 this year, and the reaction to its inclusion has been fantastic. Not only are the cars great fun to drive, but the unique race weekend format of Formula 2, and the near equal cars makes for a perfect gaming combination.
With both the F1 & F2 seasons about to resume from the summer break this weekend, at the FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2019, I know that many of our fans are looking forward to getting their hands on the latest car & driver line-ups and experiencing a full F2 2019 Championship.
For those fans who aren’t as familiar with Formula 2 as they are with Formula 1, we have spoken to several former drivers, the commentators and F2 themselves on what makes it so different from F1, as well as touching on the predominant themes of rivalry and the pathway to F1. It was fascinating to get a great insight from those who have been there and done it and I hope our fans enjoy this series of videos over the coming weeks”
With appearances from George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon, who themselves have risen from F2 to F1 in the 2018 season, alongside the likes of F2 experts Bruno Michel, Davide Valsecchi and Alex Jacques, the series of videos will excite gamers ahead of the forthcoming 2019 F2 season.
Check out the 14-minute Gameplay Walkthrough!GreedFall, the upcoming core RPG experience from Spiders studio, is getting close to its release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. On September 10, explore the new world and forge your own destiny as you embark on a journey to cure the disease that devastates your homeland. Dive deep into GreedFall’s gameplay in this new 14-minute Gameplay Walkthrough with commentary.
As this gameplay shows, the wilderness of GreedFall is home to many strange and dangerous creatures, especially after dark – but there are more ways than one to overcome them. Experiment when selecting your skills and branch out into firearms, magic, alchemy, and more!
Scattered around the many open areas of GreedFall, you’ll find a variety of places to set up camp. There, you can access your workbench to deeply customize your equipment, switching out parts to change up both the look and stats of your gear. Campsites are also a great opportunity to catch up with your companions and get to know them better. Your life may depend on it.
GreedFall releases September 10, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-orders are live now on all platforms.
During the inaugural Ubisoft Experience event, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Symphony will play at four additional venues across the UK. The symphonic experience, that combines a live 80-piece orchestra and choir with stunning footage from over a decade of Assassin’s Creed, will arrive in Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow in April 2020.
The show, which will captivate Assassin’s Creed fans and symphony enthusiasts alike, debuts in the UK at the London Eventim Apollo on 5th October 2019. Newly announced locations and dates include:
Assassin’s Creed Symphony is the ultimate fan experience, fusing the powerful sounds of a full symphony orchestra and choir with a ground-breaking, immersive 3D concert. This two-hour show will present the music, characters and stories at the core of Assassin’s Creed®, allowing fans to relive the most memorable moments from the series with music from talented composers including Jesper Kyd, Lorne Balfe, Brian Tyler, Austin Wintory, Sarah Schachner, Winifred Philipps, Elitsa Alexandrova, Chris Tilton, Ryan Amon and The Flight.
For more information on the Assassin’s Creed Symphony, visitACSymphony.com.
Headup and Devespresso Games are pleased to announce today’s release of their rogue like fantasy adventure Vambrace: Cold Soul, available digitally for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for £19.99 / €24.99 / $24.99. You will find the game on the Nintendo eShop (US/EU) and the PlayStation®Store
Originally launched on Steam for PC and Mac earlier in 2019, Vambrace: Cold Soul is the second game of Devespresso Games, who created the indie cult classic The Coma: Recut, now with a major departure from the survival-horror mechanics and features a new focus on rich narrative and deep strategy. Weaving a tale of gothic horror from the minds of Minho Kim and T.L. Riven, the gameplay features multi-class party building mechanics, punishing roguelike expeditions, and an immersive story with high replayability. Vambrace also boasts Minho’s signature hand-illustrated graphics that is sure to please 2D and retro game enthusiasts.
Players take on the role of Evelia Lyric as they embark on a series of expeditions that will truly test their leadership capabilities. Assemble a team of unique characters all with different strengths, abilities and fighting styles in order to defeat the evil that awaits. Craft new items from old loot to ensure the team is properly equipped to face new challenges and threats. The path will be fraught with difficulties and the unexpected, each of the game’s seven chapters will require a perfectly balanced but different team in order for the player to progress.
Since the game’s release on Steam, Devespresso have listened carefully to player feedback and implemented a wide variety of new updates which has garnered a very positive Steam rating for the game’s most recent patch. The console version will include all significant updates and improvements.
Coming to Xbox One on August 30 is the challenging and unforgiving adventure that is Decay of Logos. Help Ada on her quest for revenge after her village gets burned to the ground by Crimson Knights bearing the royal quest.
Find solace in your trusty elk companion as you battle the unforgiving foes that roam this once peaceful realm.
Decay of Logos is out now for Xbox One with ID@Xbox , PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch
Gamer Network, organiser of the biggest UK video game events, is proud to announce that Dotemu & The Arcade Crew, the independent publishing and development teams behind Windjammers 1 & 2, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap and Blazing Chrome, will be bringing four playable titles to EGX 2019 for the very first time!
Co-developed alongside Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games, Streets of Rage 4 brings the iconic series back with a masterful tribute to and revitalisation of the classic action fans adore. Amongst the best beat’em up series ever created, this latest instalment of Streets of Rage features jammin’ ‘90s beats from the original series composers, new playable characters and a fluid, exaggerated art style. The game’s hand-drawn animation adds a burst of flair to every pummelling while still encompassing the gritty aesthetic perfected within the original trilogy.
Windjammers 2 channels the original arcade classic’s infectious attitude in beautiful hand-drawn animations, bursts of colour and totally fly visual effects that bring the series’ signature flair to life. Combining everything fans love about the classic title, Windjammers 2 will bring new stages and characters, surprising and amazing new power moves and enhanced gameplay mechanics!
KUNAI
Fighting through KUNAI’s visually enrapturing world is a warrior’s delight, where right off the bat players have ample opportunities to reduce enemies to scrap metal while swinging on ropes across chasms, dashing up walls to lofty goals, and dropping in on unsuspecting targets. KUNAI’s journey is dialled to 11 from the start, with every badass fight, supremely lethal upgrade and unearthed secret sending the adventure further off the charts. Bursts of action pop boldly across KUNAI’s distinct art direction with sharp splashes of colour accentuating attacks, making each battle an engrossing, thrilling spectacle.
Young Souls
1P2P Studio -a co-operative action RPG in which a pair of loner teens stumble upon a looming threat to humanity emerging from an alternate dimension, welcomes players into its charming world and beast-ridden dungeons in early 2020. Jenn and Tristan are two teenagers who find themselves suddenly abandoned and without a family until a good-hearted scientist adopts and brings them into his home settled within a small port town. Life in Portsbourgh for Jenn and Tristan proves uneventful. Uneventful, that is, until they uncover a portal to another world which threatens the very existence of life on Earth as we know it.
All titles will be playable in the Rezzed Zone at EGX 2019, taking place from October 17-20 London’s ExCeLl.
Promising to be the best show yet, EGX 2019 – sponsored by Virgin Media – will feature more than 1,500 screens of interactive entertainment with blockbuster triple-A titles from the world’s biggest publishers sitting alongside a huge collection of innovative indie games in the Rezzed Zone. The show will also feature esports, retro gaming and meet and greets with notable personalities from YouTube and Twitch.
To keep up with the latest EGX developments, please visit, like, follow and subscribe to their channels:
Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.
Linda Hamilton (“Sarah Connor”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (“T-800”) return in their iconic roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and produced by visionary filmmaker James Cameron and David Ellison. Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Terminator: Dark Fate also stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.
Terminator: Dark Fate releases in cinemas on October 23rd 2019.
On Oct. 29, the 16-bit magic of Disney’s Aladdin and The Lion King games, complete with new features and enhancements, will be re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC. Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King will include the fan-favourite versions of each original title, featuring upscaled graphics to support high definition displays and additional upgrades to enhance playability on current consoles. The collection also includes a brand-new “final cut” of Aladdin and an original Aladdin “tradeshow demo” that has not been publicly available since 1993.Fans will be able to revisit these beloved games and take advantage of a variety of modern support options, including instant save states, a “Rewind” button to jump back up to 15 seconds, level select, invulnerability, infinite lives, and an “Interactive Game Viewer.” The Interactive Game Viewer enables players to view full game playthroughs, with the ability to skip forward, jump in, and start playing at any point.
In addition, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King features:
Authentic Game Content with Modern Improvements – Fans old and new can enjoy the original game builds, upscaled graphics, customizable controls, special filters for visual enhancement and more.
Variety of Game Versions – The collection includes multiple playable platform versions of the games including their Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Super Game Boy releases, as well as TheLion King Super Nintendo Entertainment System version.
A Helping Hand – Players who want to experience the Disney magic in true “Hakuna Matata” fashion can use the Interactive Game Viewer, Rewind feature and cheat codes to aid gameplay progression.
Curated, Explorable Museum – A treasure trove of behind-the-scenes development assets including interviews, an art gallery and a music player shares the rich history behind the Aladdin and The Lion King 16-bit games.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King has been updated for current consoles and PC by publisher Nighthawk Interactive and development studio Digital Eclipse. Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King is coming to retailers on Oct. 29 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC.
The JUST CAUSE 4: DANGER RISING DLC is available now for Gold Edition and Season Pass owners.
DANGER RISING is the third and final part of the “Dare Devils, Demons and Danger” expansion pass and the biggest addition to JUST CAUSE 4 since launch, featuring 9 new missions, plus exciting new gadgets, weapons and vehicles. Last but not least is a new addition to Rico’s already impressive suite of traversal options in the massive open-world of Solís: a fully functional Hoverboard.
The story picks up with giant submarines appearing off the coast of the island of Solís, serving as massive outposts for the Agency, who have arrived to hunt down the rogue agent Rico and reclaim their technology. He must take down all strongholds to bring the Agency to their knees. Every submarine base presents new gameplay challenges and requires a fresh approach to strategy in order to put them out of commission.
With Agency operatives stalking the shores of Solís, Rico is faced with a difficult new challenge – an enemy with the same technology and training as him. For the first time, Rico must fight other agents, tough and dangerous foes with grapple hooks of their own and incredible new high-tech weaponry.
“JUST CAUSE 4 is a huge sandbox experience, full of over-the-top action and amazing emergent gameplay moments. There’s nothing else like it.” said Victoria Setian, Senior Producer at Avalanche Studios. “But it’s about to get crazier! We are so excited for players to finally get their hands on the Hoverboard in JUST CAUSE 4. It’s a game-changer, which will allow our players to tackle content in a whole new way.”
JUST CAUSE 4: DANGER RISING is available now on XBOX ONE, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC and is available for a suggested price of $11.99 (US) and £9.99.
Gold Edition purchasers receive 7 days early access to the JUST CAUSE 4: DANGER RISING DLC, starting the 29th of August. Standard Edition access begins on September 5th, 2019.
Fans will be able to revisit these beloved games and take advantage of a variety of modern support options, including instant save states, a “Rewind” button to jump back up to 15 seconds, level select, invulnerability, infinite lives, and an “Interactive Game Viewer.” The Interactive Game Viewer enables players to view full game playthroughs, with the ability to skip forward, jump in, and start playing at any point.