Kokthansogreta.nu - Nyhetssök / News Search ! &#187; Overclockers Club news Feed

It is the end of the week and so it is time to go through what remains of the press releases that have collected in my inbox. Monday's item covers most of what I have received this week, but there are some that have arrived since. First up is a new trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, an immersive horror-simulation FPS targeting a 2023 release on PC and Xbox Series X/S. This new trailer does not offer gameplay, but does help establish its setting as a truck is driven into the zone, accompanied by a motivating if also suspicious narration.

In addition to this trailer, the developer GSC Game World that is based in Kyiv, Ukraine also shared a video to show how some things have changed for them due to the current war. As it does show some images from the war, it might not be appropriate for all viewers, but here is a link to it, with the game trailer embedded below: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Dev Diary: Game Development During the War.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl)

One of the games I covered in the earlier post this week was Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, a game where you will be fighting gods and their undead armies using a flintlock, axe, and magic. Since then a new trailer has been released, this one revealing the gameplay but also accompanied with a commentary by the CEO and Creative Director of A44 Games, Derek Bradley. This helps to provide some insight into this title that we can expect early 2023 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Kepler Interactive – Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn)

Publisher Phoenixx and developer Neotro have announced a partnership this week concerning NeverAwake, an upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up that Phoenixx will be publishing worldwide. In this title, you will be entering the world of Rem's fears and horrors, as this little girl has found herself in what seems to be an eternal sleep. To wake up, she will need to defeat representations of her fears while exploring this whimsical but gloomy world. These fears include the evil vegetables she despises as well as the dentist that terrifies her. As you defeat enemies you will collect their souls, and you can then spend them to upgrade weapons or get accessories, but be careful to not spend too long in any level. After a time the levels will turn and become more difficult with each loop you make.

As part of the Steam Next Fest a new demo has been released for the game, which includes new auto-aiming for improved accessibility and new customization options.

Source: Press Release (Phoenixx – NeverAwake)

A new gameplay trailer has been shared by Serenity Forge and developer Twin Otter Studios for Arcadian Atlas. This tactical RPG will be arriving on PC in Summer 2023 and this trailer shows off some of the battles the player must fight in order to save the land of Arcadia. This nation is being torn apart by political and familial factions, nefarious plots, treacherous alliances, and clandestine intrigues, politics also play a role in the experience. If you make the wrong move, it is possible for you family and alliances to be torn apart, and with ancient evil forces awakening, such damage can impact the whole of Arcadia.

Source: Press Release (Serenity Forge – Arcadian Atlas)

June 13, 2022

Permalink for 'Additional Various Video Game Stories from the June 11 Weekend'

21:36

Additional Various Video Game Stories from the June 11 Weekend

There have been a lot of press releases arriving in my inbox over the weekend between the different events going on, so rather than wait for more to appear by Friday, I thought I would write this today. First up are a couple time-sensitive items as both GOG and Steam have giveaways at the moment that you may wish to take advantage of. From GOG you can claim a copy of Shantae and the Pirate's Curse until June 15, an action-adventure platformer from 2015. Over at Steam you can claim a free copy of ARK: Survival Evolved and have a very different experience as it is an open world survival game, until June 19.

Source: GOG (Shantae and the Pirate's Curse giveaway) and Steam (ARK: Survival Evolved)

3D Realms and Jasozz Games have released an updated demo for their horror-themed shooter CULTIC as part of the Steam Next Fest. The game features classic visual and modern combat and the updated demo has an overhauled map, new wave-based Survival Mode inspired by Resident Evil 4's "The Mercenaries" and Killing Floor as well as refined combat, graphics, and weapon upgrades. When the game launches later this year on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, you will get to uncover the truth behind kidnappings and gruesome murders as a disgraced detective. Just after exiting his car he is ambushed and when he regains consciousness, finds himself in a mass grave with fresh but unbleeding wounds. Though uncertain of his resurrection, he rises to destroy the cult behind it all and stop their rituals.

Source: Press Release (3D Realms – CULTIC)

Zombies are a problem and while most games suggest the solution is some properly placed bullets, Aerosoft and Thera Bytes have a different idea. In Zombie Cure Lab you must build a laboratory to find a cure for zombies that turns them into Humbies, human-zombie hybrids you can put to work supporting your scientists. They do have needs though, and failing to satisfy them will result in them reverting. This cure's success is not guaranteed, but that is not a problem as every night the undead army attack; just make sure you lab's design will survive.

The game's debut demo is available now as part of the Steam Next Fest, but is only going to be available until June 21. The game's Early Access release will be later this year.

Source: Press Release (Aerosoft – Zombie Cure Lab)

From publisher All in! Games and developer Naraven Games, the reveal trailer of Backfirewall_ has been shared for this first-person puzzle adventure set within a smartphone. You are the Update Assistant and have been given the task by the Update Protocol to update the phone's operating system. The thing is, the old and buggy OS9 does not want to be removed and so has other plans for you. Within the game's setting, you will faced with the torment programs face as portions of their code is erased and replaced in the name of progress. You will also navigate the bureaucratic nightmare of Wi-Fi, visit the speakers' exclusive nightclub, and encounter many quirky characters that are personifications of the phone's software, including its rich file history. Ultimately you will need to decide whether OS9 deserves to be discarded and replaced, or if you would prefer to let it stay.

Source: Press Release (All in! Games – Backfirewall_)

Revealed at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase was Ravenlok by Cococucumber, a title that takes you into a magical realm filled with peculiar creatures and evil entities. You will need to explore this world and ultimately defeat its Caterpillar Queen to find your way home. From the Mushroom Forest to the haunted Mask Mansion you will explore and wield your sword and shield to survive and learn the secrets of this fallen world.

Ravenlok is releases in 2023 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: Press Release (Cococucumber – Ravenlok)

Though it just had its Countdown to Marketing event, Devolver Digital released another trailer this weekend, this one for Terra Nil, a reverse city builder. Rather than trying to develop a city, this game tasks you with restoring wastelands to again be home to flora and fauna. It is scheduled to launch in 2023.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Terra Nil)

For the IGN Summer of Gaming event, Freedom Games shared several announcements, including a new game, release dates, and details for some of its upcoming projects. It also released a new game, Symphony of War, a pixel squad-based tactics RPG from Dancing Dragon Games. Enter the land of Tahnra as an Imperial Army Officer with the task of rescuing Empress Florina, which will require carving through enemy factions, including rival nobles with each group hoping to claim some power.

The title that got its debut was Good Heavens!, a survival crafting RPG set in the afterlife of NPCs from developed Nowhere Studios. You will be patching the oversights and mistakes of the creator of this cybernetic great beyond alone or with up to seven other players.

Retreat to Enen is a tranquil survival game from Head West and will be coming to PC on August 5. In this title you will be travelling on a lush island, applying survival and meditation skills to find peace of body, mind, and soul.

Neon Blight is a "brightly-colored bullet-hell shopkeep manager roguelite" from Bleeding Tapes and will be arriving on July 11. That is at least curious combination of descriptors so it will be interesting to see what it is like next month.

Tyrant's Blessing is a tactical grid, turn-based RPG from Mercury Game Studios that will be arriving on August 8 that will challenge you with defeating a despot's false paradise. Monster Tribe is a creature-collecting RPG from Boundless Games and it will be arriving a week later on August 15.

The release windows for One Lonely Outpost, 9 Years of Shadows, Monorail Stories, and Puzzles for Clef have also been shared a Q3 2022, Q4 2022, Q3 2022, and 2023 respectively. With One Lonely Outpost you will try to setup a space farm on an alien planet while 9 Years of Shadows is a pixel art Metroidvania. Monorail Stories is an asynchronous multiplayer narrative experience and Puzzles for Clef is a narrative puzzle platformer.

Source: Press Release (Freedom Games)

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn from Kepler Interactive and A44 Games had its first gameplay trailer released as part of the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, and it will be arriving on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 in early 2023. In this game you enter a gunpowder fantasy world where gods, believed to have abandoned humanity have returned, but their arrival also opened the door to the afterlife and released an undead army onto the world. With humanity's survival at stack, Nor Vanek with her foxlike companion Enki will wield the power of magic and gunpowder on a personal quest of vengeance. She does not know if the gods can be killed, but is going to find out.

Source: Press Release (Kepler Interactive – Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn)

Also being published by Kepler Interactive is Scorn, an atmospheric horror game from Ebb Software, and during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase it had two trailers release and its release date was shared as October 21 for PC and Xbox Series X/S. In this game you are lost in a living labyrinth and must find your way forward while surrounded by visceral, fleshy contraptions, and you must consider every encounter carefully as there is limited ammunition, health, and resources. You will need to discover the mystery of this world and solve intricate puzzles, but be aware the game lacks voice acting, so all of the story will be delivered by the environment itself. This point is made in the gameplay walkthrough that features Doug Bradley as narrator: Scorn - Gameplay Walkthrough.

It seems embedding is not allowed for the other trailer, so here is a link to that: Scorn – Gameplay & Release Date Announce Trailer.

Source: Press Release (Kepler Interactive – Scorn)

Another Kepler Interactive title to see a trailer release this weekend was Tchia from Awaceb, and in this trailer we get a special look at the game's soul-jumping mechanic. This allows you to take control of animals and objects to explore and combat enemies. Rather than just throwing an oil lantern at enemies, you can possess it, hurl yourself, and then enter the body of a seagull to escape. The game will feature over 30 animals you can possess and hundreds more objects through its environment. You play as Tchia, a smart heroine whose quest is to rescue her father from Meavora, the tyrannical ruler of the archipelago the game is set in, and this will require defeating odd fabric creatures you cover across.

Tchia is to release early 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Kepler Interactive – Tchia)

Modus Games and Reply Game Studios have announced Soulstice will be releasing on September 20 and that signups for an early PC demo are open now. In this game you will need to fight against the Spawn of Chaos as Briar and Lute, sisters who have been turned into a Chimera, one wielding weapons and the other magic as it is only a paired-warrior like this that has any hope of success. To celebrate the announcement, a new cinematic trailer was also released that highlights the bond these sisters share, as well as some of the challenges they will be facing as they fight to reach the Tear in the Sky above the city of Ilden.

Source: Modus Games (Soulstice)

Also shared by Modus Games is a new teaser trailer for Super Animal Royale's Season 4, which beings June 28. With this season an oversized star-nosed mole has arrived to add some MOBA-style mayhem to the experience as you need to eliminate this monstrously sized threat.

Source: Modus Games (Super Animal Royale)

Hammer of Virtue from No Pest Productions is to arrive late this year on PC and PlayStation 5, but as part of the Steam Next Fest a demo is available until June 20. In the game you are humanity's last hope against the legions of robotic animals attacking the world's cities. With a suit of armor and super-powered hammer you will enter into combat zones for intense melee showdowns. You can destroy the environment around you as needed and parry attacks to open your enemies up for powerful critical strikes, or to simply survive against the challenging bosses.

Source: Press Release (No Pest Productions – Hammer of Virtue)

Prime Matter has shared a new trailer for the upcoming Gungrave G.O.R.E. that is to show off the game's ballet of bullets. It is behind an age-gate though, so you will need to log into YouTube to view it: Gunegrave G.O.R.E. – Bullets Beauty Badass Trailer. The game is to arrive on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 later this year.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Gungrave G.OR.E.)

Also, Prime Matter is turning one year old and so is going to hold the Prime Matter Showcase on June 17 at 1 PM EDT, hosted by the publisher's resident streamer Luci Verdalla. This 30 minute showcase will be at its Twitch channel and will include its upcoming and exciting new titles. After the showcase will be a live Q&A between Luci and Steve Coleman.

Source: Prime Matter

Serenity Forge shared a trailer for Lifeless Moon, the spiritual successor to Lifeless Planet from developer Lifeless Worlds that brings players to the Moon in Apollo-era spacesuits. On the Moon the astronaut discovers a town that is familiar, but nothing is as it seems in this adventure spanning time and space. Lifeless Moon is aiming for a Q1 2023 launch.

Source: Press Release (Serenity Forge – Lifeless Moon)

Shiro Unlimited revealed two new games at the PC Gaming Show, Abyssals and Decarnation, with both aiming for a 2023 release. The first is a survival, RTS, city-builder in which humanity has had to retreat into the depths of a remote ocean planet after Earth could no longer support life. You will need to build intricate electrical system to see through the constant darkness of this world, and then build submarines cities and fight off the threats lurking in the waters around you. This is specially aiming for a Q1 2023 release.

Decarnation is a narrative puzzle game that has you phasing in and out of a parallel reality filled with demented creatures to escape a maddening prison as the tormented soul of Gloria tries to fight her demons. This is to arrive on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023.

Source: Press Release (Shiro Unlimited)

Techland has details for Dying Light 2's Patch 1.4 update that includes the first free gameplay chapter, amongst other changes. This new chapter is titled In the Footsteps of a Nightrunner and you will be helping Harper, a Nightrunner from the past as he fights the Special Infected endangering the City's people. In exchange for your help, you will receive powerful equipment you have never seen before. You can find Harper at the Fish Eye Canteen. As your bond with Harper grows, you will rank up via reputation points and unlock access to high-end weapons, outfits, and consumables.

With this patch also arrives new enemies, the Volatile Tyrant and Volatile Hive to challenge you and probably put those high-end weapons to work. You will also be able to test yourself by purchasing a Chapter Mission Ticket from the Chapter Agent to take part in time trials focused on stealth, parkour, or combat skills. And finally, for those in the community that have been requesting it, the game has received its Photo Mode.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

As part of the Steam Summer Game Fest, THQ Nordic has released a demo of Destroy All Humans! 2 onto Steam. Go to Bay City and apply the Zap-o-Matic in Bay City to teach humans just how to have a real Furon party. The game will be releasing on August 30 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: THQ Nordic (Destroy All Humans! 2)

That was not the only announcement from THQ Nordic as SpellForce: Conquest of Eo was announced, a turn-based strategy game in the world of SpellForce coming to PC. From your humble beginnings in your master's small wizard tower you will go on to explore the world of Eo and develop your magical powers. Your armies and heroes will have to face competing factions as you hunt for secrets and artifacts to advance your knowledge and magic, all with the goal of becoming the most powerful mage of all time. To keep things interesting, the campaigns are procedurally generated and randomly picked opponents to face, as well as different mage classes to try.

Source: THQ Nordic (SpellForce: Conquest of Eo)

The Fridge is Red is an upcoming first-person horror anthology series coming from tinyBuild and developer 5WORD Team. In this game, with its PS1-inspired visuals, Frank cannot look away from the red fridge in his basement as strange voices and sounds come from it. The notes from his missing daughter, Laurie, also suggest this demonic appliance has done something to her, so he must search for answers to open it. However, if he looks away from it, it moves closer and emits malice with each shake and scratch. The game is aiming for a Q4 2022 release and a demo is available now as part of Steam Next Fest.

Source: Press Release (tinyBuild – The Fridge is Red)

Starkeepers is a newly announced MMORPG coming from Wolfpack Games, a new studio with staff already experienced in the MMO genre. Eons ago, benevolent cosmic creators stitched together the celestial multiverse after breaking through the darkness of primordial oblivion. Now the Astrals, children of the omnipotent gods have been tasked to safeguard the universe. As one of the noble warriors known as Starkeepers, you will need to stop the impending Eldritch threats and will also drive captivating narratives as you build relationships between opposing factions. It will also fall on you to fight corrupted gods, but by harnessing the power of star relics you will be able to weild complex combat techniques. This game will be arriving on Steam Early Access in early 2023.

Source: Press Release (Wolfpack Games)

Ysbyrd Games and Glitch Factory have announced the release date for No Place for Bravery, an action-RPG that will arrive on PC and Nintendo Switch on September 22. In it you explore the harsh world of Dewr and encounter its violent tribes as Thorn. Once a soldier, he laid down his arms to live a quiet life as a tavern keeper, but after learning of a reappearance of his long lost daughter, Leaf, he becomes a merciless soldier once more. As you progress on his odyssey, you will find new weapons and gear as well as develop your skills as you will need to react to split-second lunges and attack the momentary openings in your enemy's defense. You will also need to protect Phid, your foster son who is tagging along for this journey.

Source: Press Release (Ysbyrd Games – No Place for Bravery)

June 10, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 6'

10:43

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 6

The week has reached its end, and so it is time to go through the news that has collected, starting with the time-sensitive news of GOG beginning its Summer Sale. This sale goes until June 27, so you still have plenty of time to look through what is being offered, from classics such as Diablo and Metal Gear to newer releases like Chorus that was added to the catalog at the start of the sale, and is discounted 40%. That is not the only game added to the GOG catalog though as a partnership with SEGA has brought Alien: Isolation to it as well, and we can expect more titles to come, including Two Point Hospital and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Also, GOG is doing five giveaways during the sale, and while the first has already ended, the second is currently going on so if you visit the GOG homepage you can pick up a copy of Venetica – Gold Edition until June 12, 1 PM UTC. Along with this new giveaway, more games have been discounted, such as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.

And as a quick reminder, the current Epic Games Mega Sale 2022 is ending next week on June 16.

Source: GOG [1] (Summer Sale) and [2] (SEGA Partnership Announcement)

Next we have some from The Arcade Crew and Ishtar Games as The Last Spell has received its Fear of the Lake major update. With this arrives two new bosses, Cetusia and the sisters Aello, Celaeno, and Ocythoe, as well as a full rework of Lakeburg. The sisters provide a boss fight for Gildenburg and are designed to be only as difficult as the previous night but to change up the pace to for the players. Cetusia then is for Lakeburg, which has been reworked to feature a larger lake with abandoned docks and a small river with a bridge crossing over it. This larger lake is home to Cetusia and she will use its water as a shield and as a weapon by creating tidal waves.

Other changes include the shop being reworked so it will automatically level up and it has sorting and filters to better find that specific item you are looking for. As the developers explain, while random drops are an important part of the roguelite experience, it can also be frustrating to never get what it is you are looking for, and they are hoping this and other changes will help with that. Production buildings have also been changed so they now share an upgrade level, rather than being upgraded one by one, and you can unlock Reward Rerolls that can be used up to three times a day to get different Night Rewards or Production Rewards. The construction menu has been changed as well and now features the ability to repair multiple buildings at the same time.

There are many other changes than these, so you may want to check out the source links for that information.

Source: Steam News (The Last Spell) and Steam Discussions Patch Notes (The Last Spell)

Deep and Volition have released the Boss Factory demo for the upcoming Saints Row that will allow you to start designing and assembling your character now. The game will feature the series' "best and boldest" customization suite and this will let players get a head start on creating exactly what they want, as well as sharing it. Naturally you will be able to save the character for use in the game when it launches August 23, but you will also be able to share it via SaintsRow.com, where registered users can download it to make edits of their own. By sharing a character from Boss Factory you unlock two helmets for use in the game.

When it releases Saints Row will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. This Boss Factory demo is available on those same platforms.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver – Saints Row)

Devolver Digital was Devolver Digital for twenty-five minutes this week, during the Summer Games Fest and also made five game announcements. First of these was sharing the release date trailer for Cult of Lamb, which will be arriving on August 11 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. In this title you will be leading your cult in a land of false prophets as you build your community to establish yours as the one true cult.

The publisher next announced Anger Foot, which will be coming to PC in 2023, allowing players to run through the "caffeine-fueled fever dream of Shit City," using your angry feet to kick around the "menacing menagerie of merciless gangsters." You will not have to rely on kicks alone though, as you will have guns at your disposal as well for your hands to fire. I felt it necessary to point out it will be your hands firing the guns, and not still your feet.

Card Shark is available now and its launch trailer was also part of the event, giving players another look at the gameplay it offers. In this game you take on 18^th Century French society by engaging in card games to build up your fortune to buy to ever higher stakes tables. This will require cunning, strategy, and whatever cheating you can get away with, because your opponents are not very forgiving.

The Plucky Squire takes the storybook hero of Jot and his frames beyond their usual adventures and into the three-dimensional world outside their book. Humgrump, the villain of the book arranged this as he realized being the villain means you lose against the forces of good, unless, of course, those forces are no longer around. With them outside the pages, the story has changed and now Jot take part in this action-adventure that goes between 2D and 3D worlds that involves solving puzzles, fighting badgers, using his jetpack, and overcoming other mini-challenges. This is expected to launch in 2023 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Skate Story will have you playing as a demon in the underworld with the singular purpose of reaching the Moon and swallowing it, as that is you will be freed. The demon also made from glass and pain while the game is from Sam Eng. On your way through the underworld you will need to skate fast to destroy other demons and save other tortured souls as you become a hardened skater. It is to release in 2023 for PC.

As usual after one of these, it will be interesting to see what Devolver does next time with its special brand of marketing videos.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

Dotemu and Tribute Games have made a couple significant announces for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, which releases on June 16 to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. This retro-inspired game that already features the four heroes in a half-shell, Splinter, and April O'Neil will also have Casey Jones as a playable character for beating up the bad guys across New York City. With his range, speed, and power he will be quite effective against the Foot Clan soldiers, once he is unlocked.

The second announcement is also pretty neat as it was shared the game will feature 6-player co-op multiplayer. It would take a pretty sizeable couch to hold everyone, so if you want you can use online multiplayer instead, with players able to drop in and out at any time. You can watch the chaos in action in the trailer below.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

Prime Matter and KING Art Games have released a new game mode for Iron Harvest, the World Map Campaign that features over 40 new missions. This provides a new experience for the game as you need to protect your new capital maps and secure control over territories. It offers several configurations the player can choose from, with each having their own division of territories and victory conditions, but also a custom campaign editor, so you can make your own challenges. The update also adds a new 3v3 multiplayer/skirmish map, Forgotten Fortress, that will take places to the hazardous desert of Arabia.

This is the first of three updates and has arrived on PC with the console version to arrive in the future.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Iron Harvest)

I also spotted this press release from Prime Matter that I want to include if only because of the trailer (that curiously does not want to be embedded). It appears Coffee Stain has been rather busy on this new game as the studio failed to notice it has skipped a sequel with announcing Goat Simulator 3. Pilgar the goat is back and this time will be exploring the island of San Angora, where she will be able to uncover its secrets, or just destroy things. Expect unnatural disasters, secret animal societies, triple jumping, and whatever other nonsense the developers can think of. That includes having a herd of up to four players with online multiplayer.

Goat Simulator 3 is to release this Fall for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Prime Matter (Goat Simulator 3)

Lastly for the directly video game news, Techland has announced and released Dying Light: Definitive Edition this week, marking the end of new, active development for this seven year old game. This version of the game includes the base game and 26 DLCs, including expansion packs and skin bundles, so more than I covered for my Complete Experience review late last year. It is available at up to 70% off but if you already own the Platinum Edition, you will be upgraded for free. The digital and physical release for the Nintendo Switch will arrive at a later date. For those active players concerned, there will be a steady reroll of events to enjoy.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light Definitive Edition)

AMD had its Financial Analyst Day this week, where it provided information on how its business is doing as well as what can be expected in the future. There is a lot that can be gone through, but I am going to focus on the future products shared in the presentations, including one showing Zen 4 will receive 3D V-Cache, like what is on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to make it such a powerful gaming chip, as well as the Zen 4c design that features a more compact core for greater density. These Zen 4 designs will be on 5 nm and 4 nm, according to the roadmap, with Zen 5, which will also include versions with 3D V-Cache and a 5c design, being on 4 nm and 3 nm, expected in 2024, though the roadmap may change.

Some additional details on the Zen 4 architecture was also shared, including an 8-10% increase in IPC and up to 125% more memory bandwidth per core. The company also stated it is expecting at least 15% improvement to single thread performance and repeated that there are ISA extensions for AI and AVX-512. As for performance-per-watt, the company is claiming over a 25% improvement compared to Zen 3 and over 35% more overall performance for a 16 core/32 thread part against the Ryzen 9 5950X.

According to the presentation Zen 5 is a new grounds-up micro-architecture design expected in 2024 with enhanced performance and efficient, a new front end and wide issue, as well as optimizations to the integrated AI and machine learning. Information was also shared on the 4^th Gen AMD Infinity Architecture that will support 2.5D and 3D chiplet integration with unified system level coherency, extensions for Xilinix and third-party IP, CXL 2.0-based memory for disaggregation, and an extensible architecture for CXL 3.0 and UCIe standards. In an image for this technology, it suggests the fabric being used to connect between a Zen CPU, RDNA GPU, CDNA GPU, 3D V-Cache, FPGA, and AIE, AMD's AI acceleration, so we are looking at a technology meant to san the company's breadth of products. Also, because of its support of third-party IP that does mean a heterogeneous platform that supports other company's chiplets could be in that mix as well.

RDNA 3 was also covered, with one slide claiming this architecture maybe able to surpass RDNA's performance-per-watt by 50%. While that is certainly impressive, I seem to recall such an increase generation-over-generation has been part of AMD's goals for a while. Still, this uplift is being attributed to the move to the 5 nm process, advanced chiplet packaging, a new design to the Compute Unit, optimized graphics pipeline, and the next generation of Infinity Cache. Another roadmap suggests RDNA 4 may be aiming for 2024 and it will be on an "advanced node," as opposed to RDNA 3 which will be using a 5 nm manufacturing process.

It is worth noting that until these products are released, performance can change as things are dialed in, and that roadmaps are always subject to change.

Source: AMD (Financial Analyst Day)

ND Projekt Red, Netflix, and Studio Trigger have shared a teaser trailer for the upcoming Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime hat is to premiere in September. It will tell a standalone story across 20 episodes, following a street kid trying to survive in a futuristic city that is observed with technology and body-modification. To survivor he has decided to become an edgerunner, a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.

In addition to the teaser trailer, an Insider Look video was also shared, providing insight from the CDPR staff involved in the project as well as some first-look stills and concept art.

Source: Press Release (CD Projekt Red – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)

Lastly I have some news from MIT that is somewhat interesting as the university has developed a means to efficiently parallelize programs for the Unix shell. Importantly, the process is error-free and automatic, so it can provide performance benefits for any of the many, many people that use the programming environment, from data scientists and engineers to biologists.

Something important to understand about the Unix shell, which is now some 50 years old, is it allows one to work in multiple programming languages. Some languages are better for one task or another, so this capability is critical in many situations. Unfortunately it also complicates parallelizing the work, but PaSh, the system MIT researchers have developed, has managed to do exactly that. It works by performing a pre-processing step to insert annotations where it believes a component can be parallelized. It then attempts to do so when the script is running, as that component is reached. This just-in-time approach is important as it address the impossible nature of predicting behaviors in shell programming. If it finds the component cannot be parallelized, then it falls back to the original version to avoid any errors. As errors cannot be tolerated while slow performance can be, this promise of being error-free is important.

While testing on hundreds of classic and modern programs, PaSh did not break one and was able to, on average, increase performance by a factor of 6. The maximum increase was a factor of 34 though, but in time we may see this surpassed. This is an open source project and the researchers are also looking forward to receiving feedback from users.

A next step for PaSh is to look into dividing a program so it can run on multiple computers, rather than just multiple threads on one computer, as well as improvement the annotation scheme. With a better scheme it will hopefully become more user-friendly and be able to better describe complex components.

Source: MIT

June 03, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 30'

9:46

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 30

The week and May have both reached there end, which means it is time to go through the news that has collected in my inbox. First up is some from 1047 Games, the studio behind Splitgate as Beta Season 2 has launched, bringing with it new game modes, a new progression system, a remastered map, and a new battle pass.

These new game modes are Juggernaut, Hotzone, and Lockdown. Juggernaut is a Free for All mode where one player is the Juggernaut, which makes them harder to kill, but doing so is the only way to score points, and when you get the last hit, you become the Juggernaut. Hotzone and Lockdown are both team-based modes that are variants of previous modes meant to make comebacks a little easier. The developers had noticed that in King of the Hill and Domination matches, both of which involve capturing zones to score points per second, it was possible for one team to get such a lead that it was almost impossible to beat them. These new modes change the formula by requiring you to hold the one zone for 30 seconds or multiple zones at the same time to score a point. The points necessary to win have naturally been lowered to account for this, but given these conditions it will likely still prove difficult to secure a victory.

The progression system has been changed so it will feel more rewarding as you advance in Pro tiers and unlock badges to show off on your player card. Each Pro tier also provides a permanent 1% experience boost, with a cap of 10% to help you climb. Each tier does have 100 levels though, so it will still take some time, but any prior experience you earned is carried over. The matchmaking system has also been given some attention, bringing it to 2.0 and it should get you into matches with people of your skill level faster. The weighting of very skilled players has been changed, to avoid "reverse boosting" that would allow these skilled players to dominate their opponents.

The remastered map is Abyss, and it has received more than just a visual overhaul, which you can see some of in the trailer below. There are a number of other changes listed in the patch notes that are on the other side of the source link.

Source: 1047 Games (Splitgate)

Devolver Digital has announced its announcement of announcing announcements is going to be on June 9 at 3 PM Pacific with its Devolver Marketing Countdown to Marketing event, and it is promising the greatest countdown the games industry has ever seen, because that is all the viewers care about. In other words, Devolver is being Devolver and will have at least four game announcements on June 9 during the Summer Game Fest. It will the streamed on Twitch.tv/Twitchgaming and last for 30 minutes. You can check out the teaser announcing the event here, but be aware, there is an amount of profanity used: Devolver Direct 2022 Teaser | Watch June 9 @ 3PM Pacific

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

This piece of news actually arrived last week, but after I had already posted the item then. In any case, EA has officially announced Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order that released a few years ago. It is aiming to release in 2023 but is set five years after the previous title. Cal Kestis must continue to stay ahead of the Empire as it continues hunting the few remaining Jedi in the galaxy. BD-1 remains his trusty companion and he will encounter new characters to ally with on his journey.

When it releases, it will arrive on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: EA (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)

HandyGames has shared the confirmed release date for Endling – Extinction is Forever as well as a trailer to show off the gameplay for this title where you play as the last fox in the world, trying to find food for your cubs. This will require you to explore devastated environments and hunt other animals while avoiding becoming prey yourself, and it starts on July 19. To celebrate a 10% pre-order discount has been applied on the normal $29.99 price. You can check out the source link below for links to different digital storefronts, depending on your preference.

Source: HandyGames (Endling – Extinction is Forever)

The Irregular Corporation and Foxy Voxel have released a major update to Going Medieval, with this one adding new animals and the ability to tame them. Any animal in the game can be tamed now, though success will vary between them, and not just based on a settler's animal husbandry skills. Still, it may prove worth it to have some domesticated chickens, goats, sheep, and cows around for the different resources they can provide. Of course it will be interesting to see what one will be able to do with tamed rats, boars, and foxes.

Initially animals will start as being wild, but you can send a settler to attempt to tame them. It will take multiple successful attempts for them to become domesticated, but as I said, they will provide resources that can make the effort worth it. But you do need to be careful because a failed attempt can see the animal attack the tamer.

Domesticated animals will wander around your settlement, though they will not go through doors unless they are always open. These animals will need food and will eat whatever they find when hungry. At night they will also look for a roof to sleep under, so you may want to provide one for your animal pen. Domesticated animals can be slaughtered, producing the carcass it leaves behind.

If you choose to train your domesticated animals, you can turn them into pets, and this currently applies to all animals, in the game. Pets will be able to go through unlocked doors and some will engage enemies when they approach. Pets will also haul resources occasionally, though how often and how much will depend on the animal type. Pets, once assigned to their master, will follow the same sleep schedule.

As for the resources these animals can provide, there are eggs, milk, and wool you can gather, and these can be processed to create stuffed eggs and cheese.

Many other changes have been applied with this update as well, including an overhaul to path finding, clean up to JSON files that will make modding easier, even though it is not officially supported. Also, by popular demand, the length of the day has been increased to 20 minutes. It should be noted though that old saves will not work with this version. You can go to the pre-update Legacy branch though, if you wish to continue with an existing settlement.

Source: Going Medieval Steam News (Patch Notes)

Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed has received its release date of August 30, so on that day Crypto will once again arrive to conquer Earth. Technically it is the next Cryptosporidium, number 138, but he will be the same charming invader as before. This time he will be using his arsenal of weapons across five open-world areas, Bay City, Albion, Takoshima, Tunguska, and the Moon, as he deals with Hippies, the KGB, and more. Helping you get around will be his jetpack, hover board, and naturally his flying saucer with its own selection of weapons. To unlock you skills you will need to abduct humans, but be sure to follow the recipe for optimal results.

With the release date announced, pre-orders have also begun, so you can secure your copy of the game on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, or PlayStation 5 today. Additionally, pre-ordering the game will get you instant access to the standalone multiplayer spin-off Destroy All Humans! Clone Carnage. In this title four players can wreak havoc online or two can engage in local multiplayer. This is also available separately at a price of $12.99. The main game will support split-screen co-op for the campaign, by the way.

Source: THQ Nordic (Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed)

May 27, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 23'

11:03

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 23

As this week comes to an end with possibly a long weekend for many about to start, it is time to run through the news that has collected. First up we have a couple items from 2K starting with the time sensitive news that BioShock: The Collection has arrived on the Epic Games Store and is free for the first week. This collection includes the remastered versions of BioShock and BioShock 2 (reviews are of the original versions), and the Complete Edition of Bioshock Infinite (again, the review is of the original version). These games are classics, especially the first, and almost certainly worthy of a place in video game libraries, so would you kindly claim the free copy before Thursday. (It might be predictable, but of course I would make the joke.)

The other piece of news from 2K is a gameplay overview trailer for The Quarry, the next title from Supermassive Games. Set at a Summer camp, the game follows the young camp counselors in a horror story that will be familiar to many of those who have seen some of the horror films of the 1980s. This trailer provides a look at the premise of the game, various features, accessibility options, and game modes. One of the features shown is the multiplayer ability to invite up to seven friends to watch and vote on key decisions, so the story can be for the whole group. With couch co-op though, different players can be responsible for certain characters, and you need to pass the controller around at the right time. If you prefer to just watch the story, you can select an outcome and watch as it unfold or even tweak and tune character features, to let it play out that way.

The Quarry is to release on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on June 10. Pre-orders are up now and will grant you the Horror History Visual Filter Pack with three cinematic filters to choose from: 8 mm-style film grain for indie horror; VHS for 1980's horror; and black and white for classic horror.

Source: Epic Games Store (The BioShock Collection) and 2K (The Quarry)

This week the next expansion was announced for Hot Wheels Unleashed and features some truly classic licensed IP as Koch Media and Milestone partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for a Looney Tunes Expansion. Five new vehicles, a themed Track Builder Module, themed customization items, and the Looney Tunes Adventure Park environment, which does have the iconic desert of Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, will arrive on July 14. It is included with the game's Pass Vol. 3 but can also be purchased separately. The pass will be available for purchase on June 9. This was something of a spoiler so for now, that's all folks.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Hot Wheels Unleashed)

PLAYISM and //commentout have announced TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity will be leaving Steam Early Access on June 2, and releasing to Nintendo Switch the same day. In this 2D roguelike, action-platformer, you will lead one of five heroes through the tower that was built from the remains of a forgotten world. As you progress you will learn more about the characters' backstories, why they felt compelled to enter it, and what it will take to escape this repetitive situation. Each of these heroes only possess screen-clearing skills that deal significant damage over a short period of time, but can take as long as 30 seconds to recharge. You can find items to reduce cooldowns, apply different effects, and provide protection, but clearly the challenge start with surviving.

Source: Press Release (PLAYISM – TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity)

Next is some clarification on some information from AMD's Computex 2022 presentation that has been a little confusing; more specifically the 170 W value. In the press release it said the AM5 socket will have "support for up to 170 W TDP processor," which led to certain questions. Was this the TDP for the Ryzen 7000 CPUs? Was this actually the Package Power Tracking (PPT) limit, meaning a peak power limit as some reported? According to Tom's Hardware, neither is the case.

First, Ryzen 7000 will still have offerings in the 65 W and 105 W TDP targets we currently see with the Ryzen 5000 series, so this does not represent a significant increase in power consumption accompanying the new Zen 4 architecture. Rather, the 170 W TDP is what the AM5 socket is designed to be able to supply. That does translate to the ability for a 170 W Ryzen 7000 CPU to be made, but does not mean the product line is increasing its power consumption that significantly. Also the PPT, so the upper limit the CPU will be allowed to draw will be 230 W, or 1.35 times this TDP, a formula the company has been using since the start of its Zen era.

It is certainly disappointing this was not better explained in the presentation or press release, but at least clarity has been achieved after the fact. It will also be interesting to see what the final power and performance specifications will be for the Ryzen 7000 parts. It was only pre-production silicon being used for the presentation, so we may see some movement from what was shown and what has been rumored.

Source: Tom's Hardware (AM5 Power Clarification)

May 23, 2022

Permalink for 'AMD Shows Off Ryzen 7000 and AM5 Platform at Computex 2022 Keynote'

20:50

AMD Shows Off Ryzen 7000 and AM5 Platform at Computex 2022 Keynote

Computex 2022 has begun and AMD has held its keynote, where the company presented its upcoming Ryzen 7000 processors based on its Zen 4 architecture, as well as the accompanying 600 series chipsets, together representing the start of the AM5 platform. These were not the only technologies announced, but are likely the most interesting of them.

The Zen 4 architecture is going to feature a number of changes with the currently available Zen 3, of the Ryzen 5000 series, including the move to TSMC's 5 nm process and changing to a 6 nm IO die. The node change is not the only interesting aspect of the IO die, but I want to cover the compute dies first. To improve performance AMD has doubled the amount of L2 cache per core to 1 MB and increased clock speeds as well. We do not know anything yet about the L3 cache though, including its size or if a vertical cache design, like that used with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, will be employed, though it would be reasonable for that to arrive at a later date, after the platform launches and gives time to address issues and apply optimizations. During the keynote it was said clock speeds have been increased to run "significantly above 5 GHz" and a pre-production sample was shown to achieve 5.5 GHz during gameplay, so it will be interesting to see how the SKUs may work out. AMD is claiming 15% greater single-thread performance compared to the R9 5950X in Cinebench R23 and 30% faster performance than the Intel Core i9 12900K in a multi-threaded Blender rendering workload. The CPUs are to launch in Fall, so we will be learning more in future months, and potentially the performance will increase as well. We will also learn more about the AI acceleration instructions implemented into Zen 4.

Coming to the IO die now, as I said earlier it is being made on TSMC's 6 nm process, but it will also be packing an RDNA 2-based graphics engine, that has been taken from AMD's work on Ryzen mobile processors. This will likely be quite important as previously an advantage of many Intel CPUs has been their integrated GPUs that could at least get a system going, even when you lack of graphics card. Exactly how powerful the GPU cores will be, we do not know, but it will support up to four displays.

Two other changes arriving with the new IO die are support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, though both of these were expected. It is only supporting DDR5, so hopefully when this platform launches later this year, memory prices will have fallen for those looking to be an early AM5 adopter. The CPUs will support up to 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes, but exactly how these are deployed can vary significantly, based on the chipset.

Three chipsets were announced with the B650 at the lower end. It is aiming for the mainstream market and is going to offer PCIe 5.0 for storage only. The X670 chipset is going to require a PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot on its motherboards, with an expansion slot being optional. Above that is the X670E chipset, for Extreme as it will again require one PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot but two PCIe 5.0 expansion slots. The X670 is also designed for "enthusiast overclocking" and the X670E for "extreme overclocking." As for IO besides PCIe, the AM5 platform will offer up to 14 SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps ports, up to four HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2 ports, and Wi-Fi 6E with DBS and Bluetooth LE 5.2.

Stepping back a bit for the larger AM5 platform, it features the new AM5 socket that use a 1718 pin LGA design, which means the socket's design will be quite different from prior AMD Ryzen and older CPUs. More pins allow for greater bandwidth, and more power as the platform will support up to 170 W TDP processors. Again, it will be interesting to see how the SKUs work out and which may push that high, and how well those with more modest requirements perform.

Zen 4 and AM5 were not the only technologies talked about and announced, as AMD also shared some news for its mobile portfolio. This includes the announcement of the Mendocino APU that combines 4 core/8 thread Zen 2 cores with RDNA 2 graphics. These processors are meant for laptops aiming for the $399 to $699 price point, running Windows or Chrome OS. It is expected to launch in products in Q4.

That lower-power APU was hardly the only piece of mobile hardware shown off as AMD also had the Corsair Voyager a1600 laptop on stage. This AMD Advantage laptop combines a Ryzen 6000 series CPU with Radeon RX 6800M series GPUs to create a mobile streaming solution. While its specifications will enable it to handle applications like Adobe After Effects and OBS Studio, it also features ten customizable S-key shortcut buttons powered by Corsair's Elgato Stream Deck software above the keyboard. The display features a 16 inch 2560x1600 IPS panel capable of 240 Hz and supports FreeSync Premium, to promise smooth gameplay. The webcam provides a 1080p30 image and with a directional 4-microphone array, ambient noise can be more easily filtered out. The laptop also features two USB 4.0 ports that are Thunderbolt 3 enabled and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. If you are using wireless Corsair peripherals, you do not need to take up any USB ports as it features an integrated receive for up to three Corsair Slipstream Wireless peripherals. Availability will be announced at a future date, but you can already see the specifications via the Corsair source link below, as well as the MSRP of $2699.99 and $2999.99, depending on the specific model.

Helping the performance of the Voyager a1600 and other AMD Advantage systems are AMD Smart technologies, such as Smart Access Memory, which enables the CPU to directly address the dGPUs VRAM. AMD is adding to that family of technologies with Smart Access Storage that supports Microsoft DirectStorage. More information will arrive in the future, it will leverage Smart Access Memory and other AMD technologies to improve game load times and texture streaming.

It will be interesting to watch what happens as we approach the releases for these different products and technologies, as designs are refined ahead of launch and more details are shared.

Source: AMD [1] (Computex 2022 Press Release), [2] (Computex 2022 Webpage), and Corsair (Voyager a1600)

May 20, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 16'

12:25

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 16

We have made it through another week, which means it is time to go through the gaming and related news that has collected, and first up is some time sensitive information, though it is not as time sensitive as it could be. The Epic Games Store has begun the Epic Games MEGA Sale 2022 and it is running until June 16. This will hopefully give you plenty of time to take advantage of the various discounts as well as the newest version of the MEGA Coupon. If you remember prior MEGA sales, this coupon would provide $10 a single purchase of at least $14.99. Now it is instead 25% off all eligible games in your shopping cart, as now you can have multiple items in your EGS cart. Eligibility requires the cart combines to at least $14.99 and that the items are currently available games, so not pre-orders, DLC, or in-game purchases.

You can follow the link below to see what all is on sale, learn more about the coupon, and to claim a free copy of Borderlands 3 until May 26.

Source: Epic Games Store Mega Sale

This week 505 Games had its first showcase, which featured several upcoming games we can expect this year and next, and it is on YouTube to watch now. It is behind an age-gate though, so here is the link you can visit: 505 Games Spring 2022 Showcase. As for what it shared, we have news for Among the Trolls, Stray Blade, and Miasma Chronicles. In Among the Trolls, players will get to explore Finnish forests and folklore in a first-person, survival, action-adventure experience when it arrives on Steam Early Access later this year. Stray Blade was previously announced, but a new gameplay video has been shared of this action RPG. The Miasma Chronicle is a new title coming from the creators of Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden set in a post-apocalyptic world where the mysterious Miasma tore the world apart.

Source: 505 Games

Dotemu has shared a new behind the scenes video for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, this time with a focus on the effort to modernize the classic beat-em-up fun of the original games. The developers at Tribute Games do want to provide a modern experience but also preserve the timeless fun that left them with indelible memories from their childhood. Part of achieving this was to make the game resemble a season of the 1987 cartoon, with each stage as its own episode.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is to launch this Summer for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

HandyGames has shared that Endling – Extinction is Forever has been delayed. This game where you will play as the last adult fox, hunting for food for your cubs in a dying world, is still to release soon, but has slipped from its Spring target. When it releases it will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and now there will be a retail version of the game, something the community has been suggesting.

Source: HandyGames (Endling – Extinction is Forever)

Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel has received its launch date of June 28, and a new trailer featuring some of its unique systems. In this survival horror game you will be exploring the past, present, and future as journalist Roberto as he fights against the supernatural in this hotel with dark mysteries. When it releases, it will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Maximum Games – Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel)

A new trailer has been released by Prime Matter and Brass Token for the upcoming horror, action-adventure game, The Chant. This game will place you on a remote island as you try to survive various ethereal terrors that have been released after a ritual chant went wrong and opened a portal to The Gloom, a nightmare dimension. This other dimension feeds on negative feeds and drives people mad with their anxieties and fears by forming them into interdimensional creatures. It is not all-powerful though, and by strengthening your mind, body, and spirit as well as learning the secrets of a new age cult, you can reverse the effects and avoid becoming trapped in The Gloom itself.

The Chant will release to PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 when it launches.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – The Chant)

Techland has revealed the first piece of concept art of its unannounced AAA open-world, action-RPG set in a fantasy world. Currently well known for Dying Light and Dying Light 2, both zombie survival horror games, this project will be a bit different, but fortunately the studio has some significant talent on the team, including Karolina Stachyra as the Narrative Director who is responsible for the Bloody Baron questline from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, among other contributions to that game and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. This is not the only talent from the Witcher series, as the Narrative Lead, Arkadiusz Borowik, also worked on both of those titles, and the Open World Director, Bartosz Ochman, worked on Cyberpunk 2077, Lead Animator Kevin Quaid from Horizon Zero Dawn, Lead Game Designer David McClure from Deathloop, and Creative Director Mario Maltezos from Mad Max and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Along with this teaser image and news of the team members, the developer has also pointed out it is hiring in many positions for the teams for this unannounced project as well as Dying Light 2. The link to the job listings is below.

Source: Techland [1] and [2] (Jobs)

THQ Nordic announced a new title this week, the action-RTS The Valiant where you play as a veteran of the Crusades that must now stop a former brother-in-arms, Ulrich, who is on his own crusade to re-form Aaron's Rod. On his quest to find the pieces, Ulrich is tearing through Europe and the Holy Land, and Theoderich van Akenburg and his companions must stop him. The gameplay is being designed for a new experience for the genre and will have a focus on more tactical combat with smaller faces. It will also offer a story-driven campaign with each mission's challenge being unique and the decisions you make on and off the battlefield will make a difference. You will need to be careful when selecting your forces for each mission, as there will be no base building, and decide what each hero should be equipped with for the fights.

When The Valiant releases it will offer both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, though the campaign has been designed as a single-player experience. You can play with two other friends though in a Last Man Standing mode with waves of enemies, including mini-bosses and bosses, coming at you, with success providing experience to unlock new skills and better stats for future challenges.

Source: THQ Nordic (The Valiant)

Finishing this one off is some news from Acer that held its Next@Acer 2022 press conference this week and showed off various new products. Among these was the new Swift 3 OLED laptop that features, as the name suggests, and OLED screen that is 14 inches with a 16:10 WQXGA+ panel that has 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification. Powering the display is a 12^th Gen Intel Core H-Series CPU with Iris Xe graphics paired with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a PCIe Gen 4 SSD. It has been Intel Evo verified, which means it offers instant wake from sleep and ten hours of real-world battery life, but you can also get four hours out of it by charging for 30 minutes. It is targeting a July release with a starting price of $899.99.

Looking at the gaming-focused products, the Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition announced, which offers a glasses-free stereoscopic 3D experience with its SpatialLabs TrueGame application. Through that, supported games will take advantage of the special display and there will be over 50 modern and classic titles with support profiles when the laptop launches. As for other components, it features up to a 12^th Gen Core i9 CPU, paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, up to 32 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM, and PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs in RAID 0. It will also have Wi-Fi 6E support, an HDMI 2.1 port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. It is aiming to a release in Q4 with a starting price of $3399.99, so clearly this 3D technology is not going to be cheap.

Acer has also updated and expanded its Aspire Vero line of laptops that feature more ecologically friendly designs and materials. The AV14-51 has a 14 in display, paired with a 12^th Gen Core processor, Iris Xe graphics, Wi-Fi 6, a Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. If you need something a little larger, the AV15-52 has a 15 inch panel and a similar selection of ports. Both of these will be available in different colors and feature OceanGlass trackpads, which are made from plastic that was bound for the ocean. The chassis are made from 30% post-consumer recycled plastic, with the screen bezel also being 30% PCR and the keycaps being 50% PCR. To help make repairs and upgrades, the bottom cover can be removed with standard screws, giving access to the RAM and SSD. Both of these are targeting a September launch and a starting price of $749.99.

Acer announced many more products than these I have covered, and you can learn more by watching the conference embedded here, and by visiting the source links.

Source: Acer [1] (Swift 3 OLED), [2] (Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition), and [3] (Aspire Vero)

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 16

May 13, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 9'

10:39

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 9

It seems the end of the week has snuck up on us, which means it is time to go through the various pieces of video game news that have arrived in my inbox, as well as some related and interesting news at that end. First though is the announcement by 505 Games that it will be holding is inaugural Product Showcase on May 17. Starting at 6 AM PST, the publisher will be sharing glimpses and details on various titles, and introduce the community to some of the developers working on them. It will be hosted by MTV Presenter Patrice Bouédibéla and I gave the link to the YouTube event with the source links.

Source: Press Release (505 Games) and Spring 2022 Showcase YouTube Link

CD Projekt Red has announced this week that the first and second season of GWENT: The Witcher Card Game's Journey progression mode have returned and will remain permanently. Both seasons are available for free to all players, and via an optional Premium tier, and include all of the original vanities as well as new unlockable rewards. If you are new to the game, you will still be able to unlock the old content by completing contracts, and old players can unlock the new items also be completing contracts, without making any new purchases. The game's Patch 10.5 has also been released alongside these two Journeys.

Source: Press Release (CD Projekt Red – GWENT: The Witcher Card Game) and CD Projekt Red (GWENT)

Devolver Digital shared a couple pieces of news this week as it announced the release date for Card Shark and revealed Gunbrella, which is to arrive in 2023. Card Shark is set in 18^th Century Europe where the player engages in poker matches that involve not only skill but also wit as you will need to cheat against some of your opponents to win, but getting caught may cost you dearly. This game will be releasing on PC and Nintendo Switch on June 2.

Gunbrella is a rather different game, being an action-adventure experience with a noir-punk style to you. The setting is a world with rapidly diminishing natural resources and you will play as a woodsman on a quest for revenge with his rainproof weapon; the Gunbrella. On your path you will visit various locations, interrogate unusual character, and use the Gunbrella to glide, swing, dash, and dive while also collecting scrap and spare parts for munitions and upgrades. You will encounter trash gangs, investigate cult kidnappings, and find the truth behind wraiths and other monstrosities that appear in the places blood has been shed. This game will be releasing next year on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Card Shark and Gunbrella)

This piece of news is one I, and certainly many others have been looking forward to for some time as the upcoming Dead Space remake from EA and Motive has a release date of January 27, 2023. The original is a classic example of survival horror set in a science fiction universe that spawned two sequels. Powered by the Frostbite engine, this remake is to maintain the original's vision while improving visuals, audio, immersion, and quality. You can learn more about these improvements in the Art Developer Livestream from this week, but it is behind YouTube's age-gate: Dead Space | Crafting the Tension | Art Developer Livestream.

When it releases next year, Dead Space will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: EA (Dead Space)

Soulstice from Reply Game Studios and Modus Games has shared a nearly 11 minute look at the game's combat. In the game you play as the sisters Briar and Lute who work in unison as a Chimera, hybrid warrior created from two souls. In the world of Soulstice it is only warriors such as these that can challenge the ravenous Wraiths from another world to attack the city of Ilden. Additionally, the pre-orders for the physical Deluxe Edition have opened this week, with this edition featuring a digital artbook, digital soundtrack, and the Ashen Blade item pack that will help you on your journey.

Soulstice is aiming for a Fall release onto PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Modus Games)

Prime Matter has shared that Crossfire: Legion, an RTS releasing to Early Access on May 24, will have 24 additional units and three unique commanders added to its roster. This brings the total to 45 units and six commanders available at this lunch, spanning from infantry and agile vehicles to defense specialists, air support, and more. You can check out the trailer to get a closer look at these additions.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter)

Techland has shared the unfortunate news that Dying Light 2's first major story DLC has been delayed. It had been targeting and early Summer release, but that has now slipped to September. The studio feels it needs this time to ensure the DLC meets the expectations of the game's community.

While the first major story DLC is going to be arriving later than expected, Techland has been delivering other additions to the game, such as its New Game + mode that arrived recently. Also, June will see the introduction of the first game Chapter titled "In the Footsteps of a Nightrunner," which contain various content and events, but also the game's photo mode.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Leaving the gaming news, we have something very interesting from Phoronix as NVIDIA has published its Linux GPU kernel driver as open source. For a very long time, the NVIDIA drivers for Linux have been closed source blobs that some in that community are not always comfortable working with. For over a decade AMD's Linux drivers have been open source, which has proven quite successful and interesting as the official drivers can have competition from the community. That is not quite what we can expect from this release though, as it is only the kernel driver being shared, and none of the user-space software has been opened. This means libraries and drivers for OpenGL, Vulkan, OpenCL, and CUDA are still closed-source and that will prevent the drive from being added to the Linux kernel itself, as open-source user-space support is required for it to be upstreamed. This release will help the company reach that stage though, but it will take time to stabilize the code that is described as being "alpha quality" currently.

Importantly, this release only covers Turing and newer GPU architectures, as it relies on the GPU System Processor, or GSP that is only used in those architectures. This means older GPUs will need to use the existing, proprietary kernel drivers or the Nouveau driver, which is an open-source community project that works well with the Kepler series, GTX 600 and GTX 700. Ultimately Nouveau should be able to benefit from this release, as it will be able to utilize the FSP firmware and modules, once the code has stabilized. Even before that happens, Nouveau may benefit as it lacks the proper power management and re-clocking for improving performance. Still, Phoronix points out that Nouveau Mesa would be an example of user-space libraries necessary for upstreaming this kernel driver, though one would expect NVIDIA to open its own libraries when it is ready. It really should prove to just be a matter of time. Exactly what will happen with the Maxwell (GTX 900) and Pascal (GTX 1000) series GPUs is hard to say. For the newer generations though, the NVIDIA Open Kernel Driver will be superior to Nouveau because of what I just mentioned it lacks.

Something interesting to consider about this move is how AMD's open source drivers have been a source of information for upcoming hardware. The code to recognize new GPUs and to enable new features needs to be submitted ahead of release, so it can be included into the latest version of the kernel when the hardware launches. It is not the same as releasing a new Windows driver the day hardware is available, as the code needs to be approved before being integrated into the kernel. It also might not be as informative as you might be hoping, but still interesting.

Source: Phoronix

Finishing this week off is some science news as data from a collection of telescopes, including the Chandra X-Ray observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, has been combined with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) to produce an image of the Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Earth is about 27,000 lightyears away from Earth and the full image is about 7 lightyears wide, but the radio telescope data from the EHT of Sgr A* itself is about 10 light-minutes across, which is a bit more than the average radius of the Earth's orbit. This combination of telescopes is very important because of how it provides additional context for the black hole's impact on its surroundings. The data can be compared against complex models that consider the General Theory of Relativity, impacts of powerful magnetic fields, and how much radiation will be produced by the mass around the black hole to predict behaviors.

During their observations, the Chandra, Swift, and NuSTAR observatories captured X-ray flares, which have been witnessed before, but not with the EHT watching at the same time. This has provided an opportunity to determine the likely source of the flares, which will be shared in a future set of research papers.

Source: Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 9

May 06, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 2'

11:38

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 2

The first week of May has come to its end, and so it is time to go through some of the video game and related news of the week. First up is the time sensitive news of Devolver Digital holding a publisher sale over on Steam, with up to 90% off some games. This includes releases from this year, Shadow Warrior 3 and Weird West at 40% and 25% off, respectively, but also plenty of older titles. Loop Hero is from last year, is 67% off, and I certainly enjoyed it, but there are plenty of other good games to check out as well; Devolver has published a wide selection of games.

The Devolver Digital Publisher Weekend Sale goes until May 16. Also there have been several May the 4^th Be With You sales featuring Star Wars titles this week, so you can check those out at various storefronts as well.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital) and Steam Store Sale Page

At the very start of the week was a piece I doubt many people were expecting as it was announced Embracer Group and Square Enix have entered an agreement that will see the former receive three studios and a catalogue of IP including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and over 50 back-catalogue games. The three studios are Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal, which covers about 1100 employees and eight global locations. When the deal closes, Embracer will have over 14,000 employees and 124 internal studios, with the United States being at the top of the list for number of game developers, with Canada in second place.

Embracer will be paying $300 million on a cash and debt free basis for this deal, and it will be paid in full at closing. That is expected to occur in the second quarter of Embracer's fiscal year, which means between July and September.

Source: Embracer Group

Prime Matter has announced Outward: Definitive Edition is arriving on May 17 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. This version of the game includes the Three Brothers and The Soroboreans DLC, as well as other new and updated content. To celebrate the announcement, a new trailer for the new edition has been released as well, sharing a seasoned adventurer's point of view for the experience, but this can also be a good time for new players to jump in.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Outward)

Rebellion has shared a press release and trailer for the new features arriving in Sniper Elite 5. With the mature content of the game, the video has been age-gated on YouTube, so here is a link: Sniper Elite 5 – Features Trailer. It includes some first looks at the game's multiplayer experience and the Invasion Mode. With this mode, other players can enter your game as Axis snipers trying to hunt you down. They will be able to use the AI soldiers to help track you down, but you can make use of phones to gather intel on the invader and turn the tables. With multiplayer, you can engage in the campaign or in one of the combat modes, and it will support all-format crossplay.

Other features shown off in the trailer include the careful recreation of the game's guns, the new Kill Cam that can come up with pistol and SMG kills, and bullet ricochets. Now a bullet can bounce or otherwise be redirected by bone, increasing the damage done and this will be shown in greater than seen before. Traversal options have been expanded as well, which will help you find your preferred path and playstyle for each mission.

Sniper Elite 5 is releasing May 26 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Also from Rebellion is an update for Zombie Army 4: Dead War and the conclusion for its Season 4 Pack as Alpha Squad must destroy Project Ragnarok. Doing so requires delving deeper into Hell as part of this two-part campaign mission, but you can do it in style with new outfits, including the Future Karl outfit that offers Robot Eye and Ballistic Helmet hats. As for free content, all players receive the Death Collector horde map.

Despite having launched Dying Light 2 this year, Techland is still producing content for the original Dying Light. The company has released the Dieselpunk Bundle that adds several new items including the Gut Render, a chainsaw that will, unsurprisingly, destroy armor and apply a bleeding effect. The Flesh Ripper is a saw blade weapon, the Greaser an SMG, and you can put on the Punk'd Beret outfit to bring that all together. There is also the Rugged Roadster buggy skin which has the added benefit of reducing fuel usage by 50%.

If that is not enough for you, all owners of the base game have been given a free upgrade to the Enhanced Edition this week, which includes The Following, the games expansion that takes you outside the city, where you can try to find the answer for why people are not turning into infected monsters.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light) and Steam Store Page

Finishing this one off is some non-gaming news as VESA, the Video Electronics Standards Association released a new, open standard for the performance variable refresh rate displays. This includes the VESA Adaptive-Sync Display Compliance Test Specification (Adaptive-Sync Display CTS) that includes 50 criteria, an automated testing methodology, and performance mandates for the displays going into monitors and laptops that support the organization's Adaptive-Sync protocols. It also creates two performance tiers, with the AdaptiveSync Display tier targeting gaming with high refresh rate support, while MediaSync Display aims for jitter-free media playback for all international broadcast formats. For the former, the maximum of the Adaptive-Sync refresh rate range must be at least 144 Hz and the minimum at most 60 Hz, while the similar values are 60 Hz and 48 Hz for the latter tier. Both are limited to less than 20% overshoot and 15% undershoot for the factory default Overdrive setting, with this having to be achieved on any of the 16 test cases. You can learn more about the performance criteria and the currently certified products at the second source link below.

Source: VESA and AdaptiveSync.org

April 29, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 25'

10:35

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 25

The week and the month have come to their end, meaning it is time to cover the different pieces of video game news that has collected in my inbox of late. Starting things off is a sale over at GOG; Good Old Games Week. As the title suggests, the purpose here is to highlight some of the classic games the store has in its catalog, which now also have a dedicated page. This should make hunting for titles with GOG's "Good Old Game" tag a bit easier. For the sale, some of the over 220 games are discounted as much as 90% off, and starting May 2 the theme for the highlighted games will change every couple days. New gams have also been added to the catalog, such as Re-Volt and Deadly Dozen Reloaded, with more to come during the event.

In addition to this sale, GOG, and other digital storefronts, is holding its May the 4^th sale with various Star Wars games discounted too, including various classic titles like Knights of the Old Republic, and X-Wing vs TIE Fighter to name two. The Good Old Games Week sale ends on May 9.

Source: GOG [1] (Good Old Games Week) and [2] (Good Old Games page)

Chorus Worldwide and LCB Game Studio have shared the announcement that Mothmen 1966 will be releasing on July 14. Inspired by the pulp fiction of the mid 20^th century and home computer graphics from the 1980s, this is the first visual novel in a series. In the game you will follow the young lovers Lee and Victoria, Holt, a local gas station owner, and the paranormal investigator Lou as they encounter a conspiracy. In November, as the Leonid meteor shower fills the sky, men in black suits are lurking in shadows as red eyes pierce the darkness of the woods; eyes that Lou believe of the Mothmen he is researching. To set the atmosphere, the game combines an 8-bit aesthetic with a lo-fi soundtrack.

When Mothmen 1966 releases in July 14, it will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Chorus Worldwide – Mothmen 1966)

Next we have an update for Shadow Warrior 3 with its crossover with Naraka: Bladepoint as the two exchange items. While the Shuriken Splitter and Hoji's Mask will go to the latter, Lo Wang will get to expand his katana collection with the Raikou Katana from Naraka: Bladepoint. This new content for the game is part of a free update.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Shadow Warrior 3)

Sloclap, the developer of Sifu shared this week the game's free content roadmap, including that the first major update on the list is dropping May 3. This Spring update will being with it difficulty options, advanced training, and outfit selection. The Summer update will add advanced scoring and gameplay modifiers while the Fall update will feature a replay editor and the Winter update a new Arenas game mode. Additionally, the Summer, Fall, and Winter updates will bring with them new outfits, and the Fall and Winter updates will bring new modifiers to the game as well.

Source: Sloclap Twitter Account (Sifu)

The previous item is not the only roadmap shared this week, though this next one is more expansive, but also more tentative. Stardock released Galactic Civilizations IV version 1.0 this week, and while that is an important milestone, the company decided to also share its current plans for versions 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3. The GalCiv formula has changed some with this title, so a sense of future changes seems appropriate. Among the planned future changes and features are a planetary project to build colonial defense sentinels that can upgrade colonies, the ability to place such sentinels to target a planet, and improved Research Center screen to differentiate between technologies, and the ability to have military starbases attack enemies that enter their area of control. Obviously that is not enough so we can also expect custom civilization sharing in the game's Workshop, additional mod sharing in the Workshop, Sandbox multiplayer, Survivor Mode multiplayer, more anomaly types, and more events.

This roadmap may change substantially though, as feedback comes in but also because of scheduling and cost considerations.

Source: Stardock (Galactic Civilizations IV)

Dying Light 2 from Techland I found to be a particularly fun game and this week received its 1.3.0 update that brings with it a very significant addition; New Game+. After completing the game and realizing the impacts of so many of your decisions, you will now be able to play it over again, carrying over your skills, items, and weapons, with the exception of the progression-unlocking Nightrunner tools. To keep things interesting, the enemies will now scale to you as you play, increasing the challenge, but the rewards will also be greater. If that is not enough for you, 30 inhibitors have been added as well, in some less-than obvious locations for those who most want to optimize their build.

As if this was not enough, the game is having special events for the next four weekends, starting with a Double XP weekend going from now to May 2. The week after is Trove of Crystals, that places better crystals in Dark Hollows, Blue Moon weekend after that with enhanced night infection immunity, and then Hypermode from May 19 to May 23, when enemies will be catapulted on impact.

If this all sounds interesting, or you have just been waiting for a sale, the game is on sale until May 2 on the Epic Games Store and until May 11 on Steam. The Standard Edition is 20% off while the Deluxe Edition is 15% off and the Ultimate Edition 10% off.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly THQ Nordic and Rainbow Studios has shared MX vs ATV Legends has a new release date of June 28, when it will be launching for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The reason for this push is that the developers feel the extra time is needed to achieve the quality they feel the players deserve. This includes the art team making additional passes on all of the environments to deliver the best and most stable performance possible. Community feedback after trailers release is being incorporated as well; engineers are working on improving dedicated servers; and naturally QA is busy hunting down bugs.

In addition to this news, the details of the game's Collector's Edition have been shared, including the 8 inch tall figurine of a 2021 Yamaha YZ450F. and metal sprocket keychain featuring franchise branding. You can see it all below, in the edition's trailer, but it is worth noting this will only include one of console versions of the game.

Source: THQ Nordic (MX vs ATV Legends) and MXvsATV.com (CEO explanation)

April 22, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 18'

11:23

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 18

Once again we have reached the end of the week, which means it is also time again to go through the video game news that has collected. First up is some from Deep Silver and Volition as a new trailer has released for Saints Row. The series has an established reputation for character customization and with the reboot releasing later this year, the aim is to set a new standard for these features. Everything from eyebrow color to your socks can be set to match your tastes, and you will also be able to apply asymmetrical customizations to your characters face and apply prosthetic limbs if that is how you wish your character to appear. It is not just your character you can customize, as vehicles and weapons can also be manipulated to look exactly how you want as you explore Santo Ileso to establish the supremacy of the Saints.

Saints Row is releasing August 23 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver – Saints Row)

Next we have some news from Dotemu and Tribute Games as a new trailer has released for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. At over 11 minutes long it might not really be a trailer, but this gameplay overview will help you understand what to expect when the game releases. Also, for those old enough to remember the cartoon show from 1987, there is a nice reveal in the video as well. The cartoon's four original voice actors have reprised their roles for the game: Cam Clarke is Leonardo; Townsend Coleman is Michelangelo; Barry Gordon is Donatello; and Rob Paulsen is Raphael.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is to launch this Summer for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. For the biggest TMNT fans, it was announced this week that following the digital release, there will be a physical edition of the game as well. In the Us it will be Limited Run Games producing them, Merge Games in Europe, Happinet Corporation in Japan, and H2 Interactive for Asia.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

This week Electronic Arts announced F1 22, the next entry in the F1 series from Codemasters. Among the changes arriving with this game is the use of hybrid cars and the addition of F1 Sprint races. It will also be possible to explore some of the more glamorous aspects of Formula 1 with F1 life, a hub to show off your collection of supercars, clothing, and accessories. You can earn these through gameplay, the Podium Pass, and the in-game store. The game will also feature updated physics alongside the new aero rules, and an improved tire model to better match real life, and support VR. You will be able to enter the cockpit with the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive to be in the experience. I remember the positive impact just gaze tracking provided in the earlier games, and so can imagine the VR experience will take things to another level.

F1 22 is scheduled to release on July 1 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Pre-orders are available now and if you pre-order the Champions Edition you can get three days of early access.

Source: EA (F1 22)

Have a couple announcements from Freedom Games, and since they arrived in the same press release, I will cover them together. The publisher is having two games release back to back, starting with One More Island on May 19, followed by They Are Coming! on May 20. The former is a city-builder that will have you tasked with developing dozens of isles into a flourishing realm by building orchards, farmlands, breweries, and animal farms amongst other structures. By designing production chains and stimulating the economy, you can create thriving cities to satisfy the Queen, lest you face her fury. One More Island will be priced at $14.99 when it releases.

They Are Coming! is a post-apocalyptic strategy game set in WWII as you release Germany's Wonder weapon against the Allied Air Force; the zombie horde. You will need to assemble your armada and evade the Allies' weapons to reach your targets and devour their brains in this reimagining of the war. It will be priced at $9.99 at release.

Source: Press Release (Freedom Games – One More Island and They Are Coming!)

HandyGames had its 22^nd birthday this week, and to celebrate has launched sales offering some of the publisher's games at 90% off, with links shared in the source link below. The company also shared that it has recently expanded its headquarters to support up to 120 people and is looking forward to its future in the games industry and as a sustainable employer. It also announced this week it would be funding an as-yet undisclosed project in the amount of EUR 1.4 million.

Source: HandyGames

Prime Matter and Smilegate have announced Crossfire: Legion will be entering Early Access on May 24. That is the date we will get to enter its version of the near future and fight tactical battles as the commander of the armies of one of three factions. The Black List, Global Risk, and New Horizon are all vying for control and will fight this war across various terrains and environments, in both single player and multiplayer campaigns.

Source: Prime Matter (Crossfire Legion)

Square Enix has announced Outriders Worldslayer as a massive upgrade to the looter shooter Outriders. You will be able to create your own Outrider in the game and work through the original Outriders campaign or skip straight to the new content with a Level 30 boost. In this expansion you will face Ereshkigal, the most lethal Altered yet as humanity engages in its last fight for survival. Beyond her are still greater threats though, reserved for the endgame experience that will be set in the ancient ruins of Tarya Gratar.

Outriders Worldslayer will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, and NVIDIA GeForce Now on June 30.

Source: Square Enix (Outriders Worldslayer)

Finishing off the video game news is the announcement from THQ Nordic of Way of the Hunter. In development at Nine Rocks Game, this title will place you in the role of a seasoned hunter that has taken over your grandfather's hunting cabin and family tradition of selling high-quality game meat. You will get to hunt in two open-world territories, one set in the US and the other in Europe, but both 55 square miles in size and with their own simulated wildlife ecosystem. You will need to be careful as you search for your prey, both to spot tracks but also to avoid being detected by their sharp senses. Co-op multiplayer means you will be able to bring in help when you need, or just share the experience with a friend.

Source: THQ Nordic (Way of the Hunter)

Closing out this week is the announcement from EK as it will be hosting its EK Technology Day 2022 on April 26, the company's birthday. As part of the even, it will have a panel of researchers and developers that will dive into different innovations that are driving the future of modern cooling solutions. You can follow the source link to see more information on what can be expected, a list of hosts, and a countdown to the online event.

Source: EKWB (EK Technology Day 2022)

April 15, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 11'

10:39

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 11

Friday has arrived and that means it is time to run through the different pieces of video game news that have collected during the week. First up is the Indie Spring Sale over at GOG, which will be ending on April 18. Hopefully that is enough time for you to look through the over 300 titles on sale, including Carrion, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, Loop Hero, and No Man's Sky.

Source: GOG (Indie Spring Sale)

Next we have a couple items from 505 Games, starting with the announcement Eiyduen Chronicle: Rising will be releasing on May 10. Coming from Rabbit & Bear Studios and NatsumeAtari, this is a fast-paced 2.5 D action RPG that is actually a companion, prequel game to the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. An earthquake has revealed Runebarrows beneath a remote town, and now adventures and merchants are flocking there, hoping for treasure. Three of them are CJ and Garoo, who hope to find the Rune Lens, a source of magic, while Isha, the young Deputy Mayor, is hoping to rebuild her town. Together they will engage in combat with various enemies, including imaginative bosses that will require swapping between characters and Link Attacks to defeat.

Eiyduen Chronicle: Rising is arriving for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on May 10, while Eiyduen Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will be arriving in 2023.

Source: Press Release (505 Games – Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising)

The second piece of news from 505 Games is the release of a new trailer for Stray Blade and the beginning of sign-ups for its private beta. In development by Point Blank Games, this RPG will take you to the Valley of Acrea and there fight various foes with your choice of melee weapons. Helping you is the Xhinnon wolf Boj, who is not very large, but has powerful magic that can resurrect you if you fall, create distractions you can take advantage of, and more directly enhance your strength with. Unfortunately this new combat trailer is behind YouTube's age gate, but here is a link to it: Stray Blade Combat Trailer 2 & Beta Registration.

If that looks interesting to you, you can sign up to take part in an upcoming private beta for Stray Blade. The form to do so is linked to below, and the form also explains you must be a memory of the game's official Discord server and subreddit. Beta testers will be listed in the game credits, but will also be subject to an NDA and must be at least 18 years old.

Source: Press Release (505 Games – Stray Blade) and Stray Blade Beta Sign-up

Deep Silver and Volition have announced a showcase next week for the upcoming Saints Row title. A new trailer, interviews, and insider information will all be shared on April 20 on the publisher's Twitch and YouTube channels, hosted by Mica Burton. We can expect the game's emphasis on player choice and customization to be featured during the showcase, as there will be no limits on how you want your character to look, and never-before-seen options will unlock new customization for weapons and vehicles.

Saints Row is expected to launch on August 23 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. It will serve as a complete reboot of the game series that is well-known for its action and humor. You will be taken to the city of Santo Ileso and there build up the Saints street gang by taking over its criminal underworld.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver – Saints Row)

Weird West from Devolver Digital and WolfEye Studios has sold over 400,000 copies since its release and to celebrate a zombie apocalypse has begun. It might not be the most traditional celebration, but it is also not going to be the last event for the game. WolfEye has also shared its content roadmap for the game, including a content pack, Caged Ones event, and more as free updates.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Weird West)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is coming from publisher Dotemu and developer Tribute Games later this year, but this week they shared a behind-the-scenes video of the title's development. It will be an entry in a universe iconic to many that grew up with the Heroes in a Half Shell, and will try to recreate the classic beat-em-up style of some of its classic games. Fortunately these companies are not unfamiliar with classics as the publisher has worked on remakes and continuations of series such as Streets of Rage 4 and Windjammers 2 and the developer's credits include the retro themed Panzer Paladin and Mercenary Kings. Tribute Games is also home to some of the talent behind the TMNT game that released for Game Boy Advance in 2007 and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is to arrive on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch later this year.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

Rounding things off is a new trailer for Sniper Elite 5 by Rebellion that shows off the game's weapons and their customization options. It is behind YouTube's age-gate though, so here is a link: Snper Elite 5 Spotlight – Weapons and Customization. Besides sharing the variety of weapons in the game, the trailer also provides a look at the effort the studio puts in to recreating authentic weapons. This includes working with military historian Bruce Cromptom, the Imperial War Museum, and Royal Armouries Museum, enabling them to get reference images and audio recordings of weapons and vehicles used in World War 2. As for the customization, players will be able to make changes to a weapon's stock, magazines, receiver, barrel, iron sights, and even materials. All of this is so you can tailor the weapon to your playstyle and the challenges you will be facing. Sometimes you may want to be stealthy and methodical, and other times the run-and-gun approach might be more effective or satisfying. By finding workbenches you can make changes while in a mission.

Sniper Elite 5 is releasing May 26 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Pre-orders are available now and will provide access to the Target Fuhrer mission named Wolf Mountain. The Deluxe Edition includes the Season Pass One and pre-ordering it will also get you the P.1938 Suppressed Pistol.

Source: Press Release (Rebellion – Sniper Elite 5)

April 08, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 4'

11:07

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 4

April has arrived and its first week has arrived at its end, so it is time to go through the video game news from the week. Starting things off is some from Devolver Digital as the publisher has announced it is working with Terrible Toybox and Lucasfilm Games on Return to Monkey Island. This will be a follow up to Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, a pair of truly classic games.

Unfortunately we do not have much more other than it is arriving later this year, and the trailer embedded below.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Return to Monkey Island)

That was not the only thing announced by Devolver Digital this week as it was announced the release date for Trek to Yomi. You will get to go on this cinematic and monochromatic adventure starting May 5 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Pre-orders are up now and there is a 10% discount. To celebrate this announcement a new gameplay trailer has been shared as well. It is almost 16 minutes long though, so be aware of that before pressing play below.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Trek to Yomi)

GOG has made an interesting announcement this week as it has decided to revive some of its roots. While many today may just associate the storefront with selling DRM-free versions of games as well as being owned by CD Projekt Red, originally it was Good Old Games and focused on classic games. In many cases careful effort was needed to get a classic game to run on modern hardware and operating systems, and there were also times legal hurdles need to be overcome as well, sorting out rights and licenses. When it decided to start offering new titles as well as the classic, the name was changed to just GOG and we have seen many modern releases, even day-one releases added to its library. The company is not stepping away from the newer titles but is going to step up more with regard to the classics. This effort includes creating the "Good Old Game" tag for it store that will highlight over 500 games that have been deemed classics. To be eligible for that label the game must be at least ten years old, be "critically acclaimed, stand the test of time, defined certain mechanics, or simply created new genres."

For the older gamers out there, be warned that some games on the list you might not want to be reminded are over a decade old now. For the younger games out there, it can be worth checking these out to see where some of today's standard mechanics started, as well as some truly innovative designs that failed to catch on.

Source: GOG

We have another release date announced, this time it is to Early Access though as My Time at Sandrock will be coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 26. In this title you will be Sandrock's newest Builder and work to restore the area to its form glory. This will involve turning desert sands into fertile fields and some exploration of dangerous dungeons. Fortunately the action-RPG combat system has been overhauled for this entry in the My Time series. For this Early Access release, the game will include its first major story act and we can expect regular updates to follow throughout development.

Source: Press Release (Pathea Games – My Time at Sandrock)

Ravenscourt is up now with the announcement of the Corrupted Fates DLC for Dice Legacy. It arrives on April 19 and will add a new dice class, ruler, game mode, mechanics, and more. With invaders at your shores you find your own society has been corrupted by a dark and powerful entity. Without the trust of the council you will have to escape, which poses the question then of how much are you willing to sacrifice to survive? With this "The Downfall" game mode your experience starts at the end and you get to witness it all from the eyes of the Others as you work to build a galleon and leave.

The new dice class is the Cultists and they can sacrifice other dice to utilize arcane powers. The new ruler is the Vicar and he, being a longstanding member of the council, is able to hide the corruption the population is suffering from. Other additions include Corrupted Policies that can be powerful but come at a price and Revelations, where an otherworldly presence grants insights with powerful effects based on what you have in your dice pool.

Source: Press Release (Ravenscourt – Dice Legacy)

We have a while to wait for this one, but THQ Nordic has announced it will be putting on a digital showcase on August 12. During this event it will share several new games that will grow its portfolio into new genres with both licensed and original gaming experiences. Outcast 2 and Jagged Alliance 3 will also see have updates shared that day. Four months is a while to wait, but at the same time I think this may suggest the company's confidence in what they are going to be showing off. We will just have to wait and see.

Source: THQ Nordic (2022 Digital Showcase)

Lastly we have the fairly significant news of Unreal Engine 5 being officially released this week. For years the different versions of Unreal Engine have powered a host of games, and this latest one is promising some truly interesting and impressive technologies. Two stand outs for me are Nanite and Lumen, with the former being a way to handle immense amounts of geometric details, and the latter a dynamic global illumination system. Nanite is meant to make it possible for developers to use assets consisting of millions of polygons directly in games, rather than having to create simplified versions. While that is certainly one powerful aspect of the technology, the technology also removes the need to create LODs, so potentially we will see detail pop-in disappear thanks to this.

Of course a fully dynamic global illumination system is not to be neglected as Lumen will enable indirect lighting to adapt to changes in geometry and direct lighting. Lightmap authoring will not be necessary with Lumen, nor the need to wait on them to bake, which is something that can take quite some time.

UE5 also features a platform-independent Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) method built directly into the engine. Like other super resolution methods, this should improve performance without compromising on image quality too much.

Many of the other new features are more likely to help the developers than the players, but when development can be made more efficient, everyone can benefit.

Source: Epic Games (Unreal Engine 5)

April 01, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 28'

19:39

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 28

March and the week has ended, meaning it is time to cover the various pieces of video game news, and some other items. First up is something from publisher Blowfish Studios and developer Sky Machine Studios as the pair have announced Winter Ember is arriving on April 19 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. This is an isometric, stealth, sandbox, action game set in a Victorian-inspired city. Once it thrived, but now tyrannical dictators rule it and you shall seek vengeance on them as Arthus Artorious. With darkness and his bow, he will be able to distract and elude enemies until he finds it necessary to attack. Along with this announcement has arrived a new trailer that shows off quite a bit of the gameplay, with Arthus engaging, eliminating, and avoiding enemies.

Source: Press Release (Blowfish Studios – Winter Ember)

Weird West has arrived from Devolver Digital this week, and while I tend to skip the release announcements, a new Road to Weird West video was shared. Closing out this series of behind-the-scenes videos is on focusing on the decision players will face in the title, and the impacts they can have on gameplay. For example, eliminating the citizens of a town can turn it into a ghost town, and if you anger the wrong people, you may find they have a vendetta against you. Rather, against your current character, so when you advance the story and play as a new character, joining up with the old one can mean your posse will be the target.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Weird West)

Anuchard is an upcoming title from publisher Freedom Games and developer stellarNull that will task the player with restoring the lost souls of the village Orchard. To achieve this you must wield the Audros Bell, which will involve following the guidance of the fallen Bell Spirits as you explore the caves and dungeons beneath the town. This is also where Orchard's inhabitants are being held and when you return triumphantly to the surface, you will bring some back with you who will help rebuild the village.

The game is releasing on April 21 to PC Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Freedom Games)

Dead Cells has received its 28^th free update this week from Motion Twin and Evil Empire, this one titled Break the Bank. As you might suspect, this one will allow you to amass a significant amount of gold as you assail the optional, underground biome named The Bank. You will earn gold as you defeat the mobs you encounter, including three new enemy types, and some will be able to take the gold from you before you have a chance to spend it on you gear and weapons. Along with the three new enemies there are three new golden weapons and three new mutations. One of these mutations is Gold Plating and will cause you to lose gold rather than health when attacked. You can start your adventure in this biome by taking out a loan, but will need to pay it back at the end.

To access The Bank biome, you will need to have reached The Hand of the King. After doing this it will randomly appear in transition rooms. There is more than this new biome in the latest update, such as QoL enhancements including +1 item level to those items dropped after boss fights.

Source: Press Release (Motion Twin/Evil Empire – Dead Cells) and Dead Cells Patch Notes

Closing out the game news is some from Rebellion as a new trailer has been released for its upcoming Sniper Elite 5. Dubbed the Marksman Trailer, it provides a look at the authentic WWII weaponry that will be available in the game, and this trailer was captured within the game engine. It is behind YouTube's age-gate though, so you will need to sign in to watch it: Sniper Elite 5 – Marksman Trailer. This entry in the series will feature the most customization and attachements for its suite of weapons. This includes scopes, suppressors, stocks, muzzle breaks, and materials, so you will be able to adjust your loadout to match your style and the mission objective. These changes will be reflected in the four key stats of Power, Rate of Fire, Control, and Mobility. One example loadout would be to sacrifice control and mobility for greater power and rate of fire for stealthier players, compared to those that prefer a run-and-gun approach.

The game is launching May 26 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

A couple weeks ago the James Webb Space Telescope achieved a major milestone in its deployment by successfully aligning its 18 mirrors. While the JWST is considered a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that as put into orbit in 1990, this older mission is hardly over yet. Hubble has set a new record in the farthest star light has ever been captured from. The previous record is from 2018 when it found a star that emitted its light 4 billion years after the Big Bang. The new record captured light from within one billion years of the Big Bang.

Normally Hubble would not have the ability to resolve this detail, but it had some help as a massive galaxy cluster (WHL0137-08) lensed the light with its gravity, amplifying and distorting the ancient light. This newly discovered star has been named Earendel and once the Webb Telescope is fully up and running, it will take a look to determine the stars brightness, temperature, and composition.

Astronomers measure the age of ancient light sources by examining the red shift the light goes though over the eons. As the Universe expands it also stretches the wavelength of light travelling through space, shifting the color towards red. The previous record hold had a redshift of 1.5 while this new one is at redshift 6.2. Usually objects at such a distance, even large galaxies, will appear as small smudges with the light of all of their stars blended together, but through the gravitational lensing and careful analysis, a single star was found to be extremely magnified.

Earendel is 50 times the size of the Sun, but millions of times its brightness, making it a match for the largest stars we know of. Even with it being so massive and bright, at its distance it would have been impossible to spot if not for the gravitational lensing of WHL0137-08 and some lucky alignment. It turns out this star is very nearly on a caustic for the lensing, meaning it is experience maximum magnification and brightening, allowing it to stand out from its home galaxy.

Source: NASA Hubble Site

Ending this week's collection of news is that of Intel's Arch GPU announcement. This is not for the desktop discrete GPUs, but the mobile dGPUs. The desktop and workstation cards will be arriving later this year. Similarly some variants of the GPUs announced this week will be arriving in the Summer. What will be available shortly with equipped laptops up for pre-order now are the Arc 3 GPUs, which constitute the lower end of the series, while the Arc 5 and Arc 7 dGPUs will be coming to laptops in the next quarter or two. While being the lower end, these will not be lacking in features as the Arc 3 GPUs will still offer the DX12 Ultimate features of ray tracing, variable rate shading, mesh shading, and sampler feedback, XMX AI engines that can be leveraged for XeSS, what Intel is calling Deep Link technologies, and, significantly for some, accelerating AV1 decode and encode. The AV1 video codec is an open source project intended to replace and surpass h.264 and h.265 in efficiency while being free of licensing fees, but it is slow to encode. This is why the first hardware encoder is so significant as encoding on a CPU is not always acceptable compared to the older standards. Importantly, several pieces of software including FFmpeg, which is used in and by many others, will support this AV1 acceleration and provide up to 50 times faster encoding.

There are two Arc 3 GPUs, the A350M and A370M with the former featuring 6 Xe cores and the latter 8 Xe cores, but both will be paired with 4 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Each Xe core is matched with a ray tracing unit. They will be connected over PCIe 4.0 and will be available in laptops starting at $899. Intel is claiming the A370M will enable 1080p60 gaming in a number of games at their medium settings, and that it well-surpasses the capability of integrated Iris Xe graphics. The other three GPUs announced that will be arriving in early Summer are the Arc 5 A550M, Arc 7 A730M, and Arc 7 A770M. The A550M will have 16 Xe cores paired with 8 GB; the A730M will have 24 Xe cores with 12 GB; and the A770M will have 32 Xe cores paired with 16 GB.

Also announced was that XeSS, Intel's AI enhanced upscaling technology akin to NVIDIA's DLSS, will be coming to in early Summer with 14 games named for receiving it. Unfortunately, though the method has previously been stated to run on any GPUs that support a specific instruction set, apparently this will not be the case at launch. For a time at least, the technology will be limited to Intel GPUs with XMX cores.

As these are mobile GPUs, Intel also shared its Deep Link technologies that enable the Arc GPU to better work with a laptop's Intel CPU. This includes intelligent power sharing between the two processors to optimize performance based on the load, but also multi-engine acceleration. With Hyper Encode the media engines on the entire platform can work together for greater speed, as much as 60% better encode performance, while Hyper Compute is similar but combines compute and AI engines.

For managing the Arc GPU, Intel has created its Intel Arc Control interface. This is where you will be able to control your gaming experience, find built-in streaming tools, a virtual camera, and driver downloading. Naturally it will support these Arc GPUs but also Iris Xe graphics.

While this is not the desktop launch, or the high-end mobile launch, it is still the start of Intel's move into the consumer GPU market and disrupt the current AMD-NVIDIA duopoly. Only time will tell what kind of competition Intel will be able to bring.

Source: Intel [1] and [2]

March 25, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 21'

10:01

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 21

The end of the week has arrived, which means it is time to go through some of the video game news that has come out recently. First up is some from 505 Games and Draw Distance, the publisher and developer respectively of the upcoming Serial Cleaners as they have shared a new trailer that reveals new gameplay and enemy types, and released a new version of the game's website.

In the trailer we get to see the talents of Bob C. Learner, Lati, Vip3r, and Psycho, who each have their own perspectives and playstyles for their stories. Each of these cleaners know what to do and have the skills they need to outwit the police, and make it home in time to watch the latest Columbo. In Serial Cleaners you are an eccentric crime-scene cleaner for the mob of 1990s New York, so the gameplay combines stealth and action. Due to the nature of that gameplay, the new trailer is behind a YouTube age gate, so here is a link to it: Serial Cleaners - Brand New Trailer [ESRB].

It is slated to release later this year on PC.

Source: Press Release (505 Games – Serial Cleaners) and SerialCleanersGame.com

Apogee Entertainment is up next as it has released a new trailer for Turbo Overkill, a fast paced, cyberpunk FPS with its first episode scheduled to arrive on Steam Early Access on April 22. With the version 1.0 release later in 2022, versions will also arrive on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. This first episode will feature eight stages, a host of secret arenas, difficulty modifiers, and more that will add up to 5 - 8 hours of content. Updates will then add more stages, abilities, QOL features, and hardcore challenges.

In this game you will play as Johnny Turbo as he tries to rid his hometown of the rogue AI, Syn that has enthralled thousands of augmented humans. The design is meant to be an evolution on classics such as DOOM and Quake II, but with modern movement and player upgrades. This means you'll have to find blue and green keys and collect health and armor pickups, but also utilize wall-running, grappling, and a flying car to reach them.

Source: Press Release (Apogee Entertainment)

Next up we have some rather interesting news from CD Projekt Red as the company behind the Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 has announced a partnership with Epic Games that will have the next Witcher saga games developed on Unreal Engine 5. Since The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings CDPR has been using its in-house REDengine, which earned a reputation of impressive visuals, and the ability to push hardware to its limits. Through this partnership UE5 will not only be used by the engineers at CDPR will be applying their technical skills to advance the development of the engine, which could prove quite interesting as it already has a number of impressive features announced.

Very importantly, while the next game within the Witcher universe will be built on Epic Games' engine, it will not be an exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Perhaps this is not too surprising as CDPR owns GOG. That is about all we know about the next game besides a teaser image with a Witcher medallion mostly covered in snow and its eyes glowing. It is not the medallion from the School of the Wolf, from which Geralt of Rivia came though, so it is hard to know exactly who will be involved in the new story. Hopefully it will not be too long before we find out, but then CDPR is not exactly known for quickly releasing games.

Source: CD Projekt Red (Next Witcher Saga)

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an upcoming game from IllFonic that is set to release in Q4 of this year of PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Naturally you will be able to grab your Proton Pack, Ghost Trap, and PKE Meter to hunt ghosts, and you will be able to do so with your friends, as this is a multiplayer game. Or maybe it will be your friends hunting you as it is a 4v1 asymmetric game, allowing a player to be the ghost as they try to scare citizens and avoid the team of Ghostbusters by flying and moving between rifts. You can also possess objects to sneak by the Ghostbusters and to scare anyone who passes by, but if that is not enough, summon some ghoulish minions or just start sliming.

Whichever side you are on, you can prepare for the match in the iconic Firehouse and speak with old and new friends, like Winston Zeddemore, voiced by Ernie Hudson, and Ray Stantz, by Dan Aykroyd. With crossplay you can be matched up with anyone across the five platforms the game is coming to, and AI companions can fill your games if you are shy some friends or want to put in some solo matches offline. Here is the Announce trailer for the upcoming game: Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed – Announce Trailer

Source: Press Release (IllFonic – Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed)

Have a few items from Goblinz Publishing now, starting with Diluvian Winds coming from Alambik Studio, a colony sim with anthropomorphic evacuees try to survive around a lighthouse. A tsunami has destroyed everything and you need to lead the people to rebuild a coastal community as you remain in your lighthouse. As you direct others to perform various tasks, such as building new dormitories or a cellar for storage, and producing resources like wood and oil, you will need to keep the lighthouse's fire alive while the storm rages. Each survivor will have their preferences and skills, so you will want to be intelligent in assigning them tasks, to maximize efficiency.

Diluvian Winds will release to Early Access on Steam and GOG in Q3 this year.

Source: Press Release (Goblinz Publishing [1] – Diluvian Winds)

Next from Goblinz Publishing is Oaken from Laki Studios that is set to arrive in Early Accss on Steam and GOG on May 3. This is a tactical, roguelike, card battler with the mystical setting of Oaken. Here spirits live among the Great Oak's branches, with wisps, seedlings, and wanderers moving to sound of the Great Oak's voice. That is until the day the voice goes silent and a series of events threaten the realm. You will need to choose your path to save the Great Oak and pick a guide, a mighty spirit that will assist you in battle with their distinct abilities, as you progress through the randomly generated world, facing the many levels, bosses, and events the game will have to offer.

Source: Press Release (Goblinz Publishing [2] – Oaken)

Lastly we have Terraformers from Goblinz Publishing and Asteroid Lab, an interstellar, roguelike colony builder. In this game you will be developing Mars into a habitable world, as well as finding its resource deposits, natural wonders, and clearing areas for structures vital for the colony's survival. You will also get to pick the leader for this world you are building, and they will serve for ten years, applying their talents to the situation, whether that means the brilliance of a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate or the practicality of a private security contractor. Manage the atmosphere, temperature, oceans, and oxygen levels to shape the living conditions of this new home for humanity. Importantly, you will get to do this on an accurate representation of the planet, and the entire surface of the planet with its real locations and topography.

Terraformers is slated to arrive on Early Access on Steam and GOG on April 21, priced at $19.99.

Source: Press Release (Goblinz Publishing [3] – Terraformers)

Maximum Games is up now as this publisher and developer Pulsatrix Studios has announced survival-horror game Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel is set to release later this year on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. In the game you play as Roberto, a rookie journalist who has to fight against the supernatural, and as he continues his investigation he discovers something much bigger and darker than he could have imagined. Set within a decadent hotel, you will work your way through a story filled with twists and unexpected moments as you shift from investigating the hotel to fighting for survival and the truth. The past, present, and future collide and you will encounter puzzles, mysteries, and conspiracies, with your camera helping to uncover clues and navigate through time. It will even be a means to defend yourself from the monsters stalking the corridors.

Source: Press Release (Maximum Games – Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel)

Lastly for the video game news we have THQ Nordic sharing a new trailer for MX vs ATV Legends as its digital pre-orders open. One of the new additions for the series arriving with this game is its Trails Mode, which the trailer features, showing how players will get to make their own path to the podium. You will also get to make your own choices on sponsorship opportunities and invitational events.

MX vs ATV Legends is scheduled to release on PC, Xbox On, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on May 24.

Source: THQ Nordic (MX vs ATV Legends)

Last week AMD shared some information on its upcoming FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 (FSR 2.0) technology, and this week as part of its GDC presence, the company shared far more details. Some of it does get technical, but there is also some very important information that has been shared. For example, both Polaris and Pascal GPUs were listed in a chart concerning "optimal starting level hardware." More specifically the RX 590 and GTX 1070 were listed, which is interesting for not listing the very popular RX 580 and GTX 1060, but the fact the architecture families are included suggests these two GPUs may also be supported.

The first game to support the technology will be Deathloop from Arkane Studios and Bethesda, but AMD has also announced Forspoken from Luminous Productions will support it as well when it releases in October, amongst other FidelityFX technologies. FSR 2.0 will also be coming to the Xbox GDK, which means developers will be able to apply it to that console's games as well.

I do not remember if it was stated last week or not, but it was also revealed that FSR 2.0 will support dynamic resolutions, so while it will support some fixed scaling, such as taking an input resolution of 2560x1440 and upscaling it to 3840x2160, it will also be able to vary the input resolution to achieve targeted performance.

By leveraging temporal data, such as motion vectors and the results of the previously upscaled frame, the quality of FSR 2.0 should consistently surpass FSR 1.0, but to utilize it, the technology will need to be integrated earlier into the rendering process. AMD has laid out predictions for how long it thinks integration will take based on what other features are in the game. If some version of DLSS 2 is supported, FSR 2.0 can be applied as rapidly as less than three days. If the engine is UE4 or UE5, a plugin will make integration quick, but not as quick. Games that decouple display and render resolution is predicted as taking the next longest amount of time, with those sporting a TAA method taking less time than those without. The longest predicted time is approximately 4 weeks or more for those games without support for decoupled resolutions or motion vectors.

Like its predecessor, FSR 2.0 will have its source code released, and it will be under the rather permissive MIT license. Access to the FSR 2.0 API, documentation, the full C++ and HLSL source, as well as an example in DirectX 12 will all be provided in the future via GPUOpen on GitHub. This means developers will not only be free to add the technology to their games, but also to take the code to optimize and enhance it for their own game's and purposes. In fact, the RCAS, Robust Contrast Adaptive Sharpening, will be configurable by developers to tune the technology for the visuals of their games, which is important as not all games need or should have significant amounts of sharpening.

One aspect of FSR 2.0 is it will feature its own TAA implementation, and so when it is enabled in a game, this method will be enabled and whatever version the game uses will be disabled. This was shared last week, but mentioned on one of the slides from the GDC presentation is that an FSR 2.0 TAA-only mode is in development, which may prove interesting if it is a high quality TAA, compared to some implementations games have used. The presentation has been shared on YouTube for those curious about the technology, and if you check out AMD's YouTube channel or GPUOpen, you can find the other presentations it delivered, covering various topics besides FSR 2.0.

Source: AMD [1] (GPUOpen – FSR 2.0) and [2] (AMD Community – FSR 2.0)

March 18, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 14'

9:39

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 14

The week has reached its end again, and so it is time to go through some of the video game news from the week. First up are a couple items from 2K, starting with the announcement of a new game; The Quarry. Coming from Supermassive Games, this new game has set itself the goal of breaking ground in interactive storytelling as it shares a visceral teen-horror experience set at a Summer camp. Your choices will determine who will survive as you may try to save your friends, or be only interested in saving yourself. With facial capture and filmic lighting methods, the performances of the Hollywood cast are to bring it all to life. You do not have to experience The Quarry alone, as it will support both couch co-op where each player can control a character, or you can have up to seven friends connect online and vote on the decisions you face.

Though only announced this week, you will not have long to wait for this title as The Quarry is releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on June 10.

Source: 2K (The Quarry)

The other press release from 2K this week concerns Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, which releases on March 25 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The news is that you will be free to play with your friends, no matter their preferred platform as crossplay thought SHiFT Matchmaking will be available to bring you all together. If you prefer a closer experience, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 support two-player, split-screen co-op while the newer Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 can support up to four players in split-screen co-op.

The PC specifications have also been shared and even the recommended specification is not that bad, except for the 75 GB of storage space.

	Minimum	Recommended
CPU (AMD)	FX-8350	Ryzen 5 2600
CPU (Intel)	Core i5-3570	Core i7-4770
RAM	6 GB	16 GB
GPU (AMD)	RX 470	GTX 960 (4 GB)
GPU (NVIDIA)	RX 590	GTX 1060 (6 GB)
OS	Windows 10	Windows 10
DirectX	11	11
Storage	75 GB	75 GB

If you follow the second source link below, you can see the various settings and options the game offers, include Field of View, Resolution Scaling, API, and more.

Source: 2K (Tiny Tina's Wonderlands) and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Website

Devolver Digital has announced the release of Kaycee's Mod for Inscryption, a horror, escape-room, rogue-like card game. With this mini-expansion, Leshy's Cabin becomes an endless encounter with new levels unlocking new cards, but also challenges. It is a free update and until March 21 the game is on sale at 30% off too, if this seems like the game for you, or you are just curious about what it offers.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Inscryption)

If that is not quite the experience you are looking for, Devolver Digital has also shared a new trailer for Trek to Yomi that highlights its combat. This monochrome game tells the story of a young swordsman who failed to protect his town that he swore to protect, and must now go beyond life and death to find his way forward. This new trailer is behind YouTube's age-gate though, so you will need to log in to view it: Trek to Yomi | Combat Trailer | Spring 2022.

Trek to Yomi is set to release on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 this Spring.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Trek to Yomi)

Rebellion has announced Sniper Elite 5 is releasing May 26 and has opened up pre-orders for this next entry in its WWII franchise. As Karl Fairburne, you will discover a Nazi Plot named Operation Kraken and put your elite marksman skills to use to stop it before it is too late.

If you choose to pre-order the game you will receive the latest mission in the Target Fuhrer campaign named Wolf Mountain. In this mission you get to infiltrate Hitler's retreat in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof. It is filled with personal guards to stop you, but also with collectables and opportunities to eliminate Hitler in whatever imaginative ways you can think of. Pre-orders will also grant you the P.1938 Suppressed Pistol to help you during your covert operations. Details for the game's Deluxe Edition have been shared as well, as it will include the game's Season Pass. This will feature two campaign missions, two weapon skin packs, two character packs, and six weapon packs. If that is still not enough to satiate you desire for Sniper Elite 5 content, new merchandise has been added to Rebellion's store.

Sniper Elite 5 will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on May 26.

Dying Light 2 from Techland has received an update this week to add four new parkour challenges. Between them you will see your wall-running challenged as well as you capabilities with the paraglider to keep above dangerous areas. There is also a fifth challenge, the Flying Scorpion challenge that will reward you with the Wyvern paraglider skin.

If that is not enough for you, the studio has also begun its new At the Fish Eye series that will provide a behind-the-scenes look while developers also face off against players, to see who has the better skills. To challenge them yourself, get the best time in a parkour challenge and share it on social media with #FishEyechallenge, so they can see what they need to beat to claim to be the better Nightrunner.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Turning to some tech news now, AMD made a few significant announcements this week, including several new CPUs. At the top of the stack is the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with its 64 MB of V-cache increasing the L3 cache significantly. It will be available on April 20 with a suggested price of $449 and AMD is claiming it is the fastest CPU for 1080p gaming. Unfortunately the extra cache is not likely to increase performance in many other applications, and overclocking has mostly been disabled. This is due to the V-cache not yet being well enough optimized to support pushing the frequency and voltage beyond specification. Hopefully with the time and experience of building this CPU, future products with V-cache can be unlocked.

As for the other six CPUs announced, three are in the Ryzen 5000 series and use the Zen 3 architecture. These are the Ryzen 7 5700X, R5 5600, and R5 5500 and all of them have a 65 W TDP. The 5700X is an 8 core/16 thread part with a base clock of 3.4 GHz and boost of 4.6 GHz that will be priced at $299 and does not come with a cooler. The 5600 is a 6 core/12 thread part with a base clock of 3.5 GHz and boost of 4.4 GHz that comes with the Wraith Stealth cooler and will cost $199. The 5500 is a bit different from the other two, because while it is still a Zen 3 CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, it only offers PCIe 3.0 support and has less total cache, at 19 MB compared to 35 MB of the 5600. It will come with the Wraith Stealth cooler and be priced at $159.

The other three CPUs are Zen 2 based and so are Ryzen 4000 series products with only PCIe 3.0 support. They do all come with the Wraith Stealth cooler though and share the same 65 W TDP of the three CPUs mentioned in the previous paragraph. The Ryzen 5 4600G and R5 4500 are both 6 core/12 thread parts, with the 4600G sporting slightly better clocks and integrated graphics. Its base clock is 3.7 GHz and boost is 4.2 GHz, while the 4500 is 100 MHz lower for both values. The R3 4100 is at the bottom of the stack, being a 4 core/8 thread part, but it does have a base clock of 3.8 GHz, though its boost is only 4.0 GHz. The 4600G, 4500, and 4100 are priced at $154, $129, and $99 respectively.

All six of these CPUs are expected to launch on April 4.

For those who are still using a 300 series motherboard, AMD shared it is releasing AGESA 1.2.0.7 that will bring support for the Zen 3 architecture, meaning the Ryzen 5000 series. It will still be up to the motherboard manufacturers to develop and deliver BIOSes for these older motherboards, but the expectation is for Beta BIOS updates to start appearing in April.

Source: AMD [1] (CPU Announcements)

AMD shared some additional news this week, coinciding with its release of AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 2022 release, the latest version of its video card drivers. The most significant and expected feature to arrive with this is Radeon Super Resolution, a previously announced technology to bring FidelityFX Super Resolution, FSR 1.0, to games just by the driver. Previously FSR 1.0 required developers to integrate it, and while that process is relatively quick and easy, there are many games that for many reasons have not, nor would they ever get support for it. With this and future drivers, it will be possible to enable the spatial upscaler globally or per-game, and then by running in exclusive-fullscreen and selecting a lower than native resolution, RSR will scale it up to match your display. Borderless fullscreen games can also make use of the technology, but it seems that requires adjusting your desktop resolution as well.

Unfortunately, RSR is presently limited to RDNA1 and newer GPUs, which are the RX 5000 series and newer. As the underlying technology is FSR 1.0 that can run on practically any GPU, hopefully support will be extended to the older generations, but it is hard to say. Certainly the emphasis is on the latest products, but it is the older hardware that could benefit the most. I should also mention that being a driver-side solution, it will be applied to all the visual content of a game, and so that includes the UI. Properly implemented, FSR 1.0 is applied before elements such as the UI are rendered, to avoid artifacting, but that is not an option here.

That is not all AMD shared this week though, as it also announced FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 that it says promises improved performance with equal or great image quality. Obviously the claim will need to be tested when it releases, but it should prove to be a significant improvement for FSR 1.0. The current technique consists of a spatial upscaler and sharpening filter, which combine to work on the current frame the GPU is rendering. As all it needs is the frame as its input, it is very easy to implement and to run. With FSR 2.0, however, it will leverage temporal algorithms, which means information from multiple frames will be used to feed the upscaler.

With more information should come greater accuracy, but it also requires deeper integration into the game. However, it will address some of the specific disadvantages of FSR 1.0, such as it being reliant on the frame it is given to lack artifacts, like those from some forms of TAA. That is solved here as FSR 2.0 will include its own anti-aliasing method.

According to AMD, FSR 2.0 will take in scene color, scene depth, and motion vectors for the scene to inform the upscaler, which does not rely on machine learning. This is an important distinction from competing technologies like NVIDIA's DLSS and Intel's upcoming XeSS that both utilize ML techniques and rely on specialized hardware to accelerate the work. This means FSR 2.0 can enjoy wide GPU support, including on the competitor graphics cards. We will just have to wait and see if it too will be limited to RDNA1 and new AMD GPUs like RSR though.

If you follow the latter two source links below, you will be able to see examples of FSR 2.0 in Deathloop, and the results are promising, but are also first-party comparisons. We can expect to learn more on March 23 at a GDC talk that will cover how FSR 2.0 works, but you may still want to wait until third-party comparisons can be made to truly decide how effective it is.

Source: AMD [2] (Adrenalin Edition 2022 Release Announcement), [3] (FSR 2.0 First Look, and GPUOpen (FSR 2.0 Announcement)

EKWB has announced a new product that should help when building a custom liquid cooling system, the EK-Loop Leak Tester Flex. This is not the company's first loop tester, but by adding a flexible tube to one end, this new version should make testing your loop easier. Both versions address the issue of needing to test loops by using air pressure, so you do not need to fill the loop with water and wait to see if any leaks out. You will still need to be careful with how much pressure you apply for the test, but by using air, the test can be done more quickly and without having to worry about a leak damaging any components. The EK-Loop Leak Tester Flex is available now and priced at $29.99.

Source: EKWB (EK-Loop Leak Tester Flex)

Finishing this week off, here is some science news as the James Webb Space Telescope has successfully finished aligning its mirrors. Unlike other space telescopes, such as the aging Hubble Space Telescope, Webb uses multiple mirrors that can be controlled and manipulated individually. While this design will help humanity achieve a new level of understanding of the Universe, along with some really awesome images, its complexity is also a potential source of issue, but this "fine phasing" step has been successful with each optical parameter "performing at, or above, expectations." It is still months before Webb will be fully able to explore the cosmos, but this is a significant step that provides the team behind it with confidence in the mission's eventual success.

To help understand who this multi-mirror design was used, the size of the telescope's primary mirror is 6.5 m, which is too large to fit within a rocket, so it was separated into 18 hexagonal mirror segments, that could then be folded up for launch. The mirrors were then unfolded in in space and adjusted to within nanometers to form a single mirror surface. This is not the first telescope to use segmented primary mirrors, as some of the largest telescopes on Earth do, but is the first for space telescopes.

Next there will be additional alignment steps and then preparations for the science instruments on board the satellite. This will include collecting data on each instrument so an algorithm can determine the best corrections across them all, and then the final alignment step to reduce and remove what errors might remain. The first full-resolution imagery is expected to be released in the Summer.

Source: NASA (James Webb Space Telescope Optics Alignment)

March 11, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 7'

11:29

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of March 7

The second weekend in March is upon us and so it is time to go through some of the video games news from the week. First up are a couple pieces from 2K, both concerning Tiny Tina's Wonderland. In one we learn about the Chaos Chamber, the replayable endgame experience for the game, and the other shares details on the Season Pass.

With the Chaos Chamber, players will be able to enter a randomized dungeon filled with enemies and the means to make the run more or less challenging, based on what you feel up to. The experience starts with three dungeon rooms, followed by a mini-boss fight, and then another three rooms before arriving at the main boss fight. After each room, you are presented with two portals so you can decide what comes next. Completing a room and its special challenges will present you with a rainbow-glowing die that you can smash to collect crystals. These crystals can be spent at altars to receive Blessings and their buffs, or Curses that will weaken you, but with higher risk comes greater rewards.

Coming to the Season Pass now, it will include four post-launch content releases, including new bosses, new settings, a seventh class, and the Butt Stallion cosmetic pack. All of the new content will start in Dreamveil Overlook, where the fortune teller Vesper awaits an audience and invites you to peer into a Mirror of Mystery. As you may have guessed, it is these mirrors that will take you to the new environments, which consist of five levels and a boss encounter. These bosses will become more powerful over time, so you can continually challenge yourself. Also, once you complete a mirror, its levels and boss will be added to the random pool for the Chaos Chamber.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands releases on March 25 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The Season Pass is available separately or as part of the game's Chaotic Great Edition. The four content releases will also be available separately with the first one launching on April 21.

Source: 2K [1] (Tiny Tina's Wonderland) and [2] (Tiny Tina's Wonderland)

Devolver Digital has shared a new trailer for the upcoming Trek to Yomi with a special focus on the story. In the monochromatic game you play as a young swordsman that swore to protect you town, but after facing tragedy is bound by duty to go beyond life and death on his path forward. Though the story is the focus, the trailer does show us some of the gameplay and action we can expect when it releases sometime this Spring.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Trek to Yomi)

Prime Matter had a couple announcements this week, and first up is the release date for Dolmen, a third-person, action RPG from Massive Work Studio. It will be releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on May 20, with pre-orders opening soon. To celebrate the announcement, a new trailer has been release to showcase the cooperative and multiplayer modes the game will have, so you do not need to take on bosses alone.

In the sci-fi universe of Dolmen, humanity has reached and colonized several star systems, and applied genetic manipulation to adapt to the conditions it has encountered. The setting is Revion Prime, and there the player will try to unravel the mystery a mystery involving alien species, corrupt corporations, and unknown dimensions. Also involved is the Vahani, a species that travels the universe altering the genetic makeup of others, with a crystal called Dolmen apparently key to their efforts. It is unknown if their purpose is noble of malevolent, but Revion Prime has an abundance of the crystal, and you will need it to unravel the secrets around you.

Along with sharing the release date, Prime Matter has also given information on the game's Day One Edition. Those who get it will receive the Rebel Set, a full set of armor, a sword, and an axe all to help the player adapt to the rigors of space.

Source: Prime Matter (Dolmen)

The other announcement from Prime Matter is that Outward, the open-world RPG from Nine Dots, is receiving a Definitive Edition that is coming to PC but will also be the first time the game is available digitally for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles.

Outward: Definitive Edition will include the two DLCs, The Three Brothers and The Soroboreans, along with new content, quality of life updates, and balancing adjustments. These include new challenges for experienced players such as unique encounters in dungeons, new defeat scenarios, and even new diseases. Among the changes to improve the experience though, will be the ability to access your stash when visiting a friend's world and tweaks to make enchanting less finicky.

The game will be releasing in May and for those who own the current game and the two DLC, you will be able to redeem a free copy of the Definitive Edition.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Outward: Definitive Edition)

Sifu from Sloclap has received an update this week that will allow players to enable full Mandarin voice over for the Kung Fu game. Being set in a fictional Chinese city where the player uncovers an ancient mystery, having all of the characters speak Mandarin seems quite appropriate. Watching the trailer below, you can see not only the impact the new voice work has but also hear from some of the voice actors that make up its cast.

The game launched last month and saw one million sales in its first three weeks, which is pretty impressive. In the game you will seek revenge for the murder of your family and apply martial arts to not only achieve your goal, but also a magic pendant for when you fail. The cost of revival is time though, as you will return with an older and therefore weaker body, but age can impart some advantages as well. The base game is priced at $39.99 while the Deluxe Edition is $49.99.

Source: Press Release (Sloclap – Sifu)

Square Enix has shared a new trailer for Forspoken, one of the company's upcoming games that will place a New Yorker in a beautiful but dangerous world. Frey Holland is the name of the protagonist and she will be facing threats greater than any she has encountered before as she tries to save the land of Athia, and find a way home.

The world has been broken by the Break, a corruption that twists what it touches into a distorted version of itself. The new trailer shows us some examples, such as the Gigas and Apsaravis creatures that Frey will have to deal with, along with the dragon, one of the first enemies she will encounter upon her arrival. Fortunately she will be able to unlock magical powers to defend herself with, and these too are on display in the trailer, granting her offensive and defensive capabilities as well as traversal methods that are useful in battle and when exploring.

Forspoken is to release on October 11 to PC and PlayStation 5.

Source: Square Enix (Forspoken)

Dying Light 2 from Techland has received its Patch 1.2 this week that brings with it various technical and gameplay changes. These include improved ragdoll mechanics, greater details to melee combat, and even a high performance preset for those playing on older desktops or laptops.

Perhaps very important for some are the fixes to story progression, including that all known Deathloops have been addressed, as well as blocks in a number of quests. Several co-op fixes have been delivered too, to improve stability and the experience there. For combat, blunt weapons have been adjusted to give them a better sense of weight, and this includes the way enemies react to them. Enemies will also ragdoll more often and more naturally. The balance of night time has been adjusted, as the range of the Howler's sense have been increased, as has their resistance to ranged weapons. If a Howler survives such an attack, they will trigger a chase. Volatiles will come out of hiding during chases sooner and if you reach Level 4, you will find it more difficult than it had been. There are many more tweaks than those I have mentioned, so it is worth giving the patch notes a look to see how UI/UX has been tweaked and some of the technical changes.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2) and Steam (Patch Notes)

Closing out this week is some news from AMD as the company has finally announced Zen 3-based Threadripper PRO CPUs. This Threadripper PRO 5000 WX-Series has the 64 core/128 thread 5995WX at the top and the 12 core/24 thread 5945WX at the bottom. For those wondering why one would be interested in a 12 core Threadripper PRO CPU, it offers 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes and up to 2 TB of ECC memory.

Like the normal Ryzen CPUs, the move from Zen 2 to Zen 3 has improved IPC and clockspeeds for these CPUs. Part of the increase has come from the move to having 8-core CCX's on the compute dies, as opposed to pairs of 4-core CCX's. This means the 8 cores are able to share access to an L3 cache twice the size of its predecessor, but these are not the only improvements the new architecture enjoys.

One thing somewhat disappointing, at least for now, is that these are exclusive to Lenovo P620 workstations, at least for now. Hopefully they will come to be available from other system builders and separately, so people can build their own systems around these too. The return of the HEDT-targeting Threadripper series would also be good, with some of the workstation-focused features reduced such as using 4-channel memory instead of 8-channel, but the company has not said anything about that happening. While the HEDT market is not necessarily that large, it does still exist so it may happen.

If that is not interesting enough for you, AMD has also shared on GPUOpen its schedule of sessions at GDC later this month. Among them is one titled "Next-Generation Image Upscaling for Games." FidelityFX Super Resolution is an interesting technology and while it competes with NVIDIA's DLSS, the two rely on completely different methods, so it will be interesting to see what AMD has in mind for this technology's future.

Source: AMD (Threadripper PRO) and GPUOpen (GDC 2022)

March 04, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 28'

11:41

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 28

With this first Friday of March, it is time to go through the video game news that has collected during the week, and first up is some from 2K as it shares new gameplay video for the upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Actually it is more of a walkthrough as it features two players in exploring Mount Craw for over twenty minutes. If that is not enough for you, or you would prefer something to read rather than watch, the Game Guide has been updated with information covering the always-on Class Feats, the Action Skills for the different classes, and the passive abilities within the skill trees. Remember, you do not need to worry if you have a hard time deciding which class to play as, because the game eventually grants a second class slot, enabling a hybridized build.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands releases on March 25 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

There were a couple announcements from The Arcade Crew this week, and the first I have for you concerns The Last Spell, a rogue-lite, turn-based, tactical RPG presently in Early Access on Steam. The publisher has shared an interview with The Algorithm, the composer for the game's soundtrack, to give an idea of what was involved with crafting the game's music, but also his own story. It was video games that led him to become a composer, and now it is music that has brought him back to video games. The video is a bit shy of nine minutes and you need to read the English subtitles, but it is interesting for those curious about the music for this game.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew – The Last Spell)

The second announcement from The Arcade is that Young Souls, a co-op ready, RPG, beat-em-up from 1P2P Studio is releasing on March 10 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. To mark the announcement, a new trailer has been released to share the date but also give an overview of the game, in which you play as the twins Jenn and Tristan who go on a quest to rescue their foster father. He has been lost in another world after opening a portal to it, and now the two children must go after him and engage in dungeon-clearing battles. These battles are fought during the night as they return to their sleepy town during the day to continue their lives as apparently average, laid back teens. For more information on the game, be sure to check out the six minute trailer embedded below.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew – Young Souls)

Time for Devolver Digital as a new episode of Road to Weird West has been shared, showing players their ability to commit crimes in the games. You will need to be careful if you do because towns do have lawmen, and even if you escape, there can be bounty hunters who hunt you down.

Weird West launches on March 31 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Weird West)

Despite its sequel releasing just a month ago, Techland has released an update for the original Dying Light to add PC crossplay across Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, where it also just launch. Besides different storefronts, this crossplay will work across Windows, Mac, and Linux as well, so it looks like all PC players are free to play with any other PC player.

Celebrating the launch on the Epic Games Store, the Enhanced Edition and Platinum Edition of Dying Light have been marked down 60% and 70% respectively at that store until March 7.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light)

Ending the specifically video game related news is some, but not all of the industry's reaction to the current war in Ukraine. Near the beginning of the week Ubisoft, which does have a studio in Ukraine, shared it had first recommended its employees shelter where they would be safe, and supported them with funds to help cover cost in mid-February. As the situation deteriorated, the publisher assisted its employees in finding housing in neighboring countries for themselves and their families, if they desired it. Further, dedicated hotlines for support and aid were set up, as well as a communication system to ensure the company could keep in touch with their employees in all circumstances. It also donated 200,000 euros to the Ukranian Red Cross and Save the Children.

A couple days later both Blooper Team and CD Projekt Red announced they were ceasing the sales of their titles in Russia and Belarus. As the CD Projekt Red Group also owns the GOG platform, it has ceased distributing games on that platform in Russia and Belarus as well. For reference, both of these companies are based in Poland, one of Ukraine's neighbors.

These are not the only acts being taken by the games industry, and potentially not the last either.

Source: Blooper Team, CD Projekt Red, and Ubisoft

VideoCardz has also shared that both Intel and AMD, via PCWorld, have confirmed the suspension of deliveries to Russia and Belarus. The Intel statements says it has "suspended all shipments" and AMD's says it "is suspending its sales and distribution of our products."

Source: VideoCardz

Turning away from the video game news for the moment, UL has announced it is working on a new test for 3DMark that is to release later this year. Named Speed Way and sponsored by Lenovo, this test will utilize ray tracing for real-time global illumination, but also mesh shaders and variable rate shading. While RTGI will almost certainly drag down performance, mesh shaders and VRS both have the capacity to improve performance, quite significantly too.

With VRS the amount of shading calculations done for pixels can be reduced in areas of less detail, where the reduction should go unnoticed. These shading calculations can be very expensive in some circumstances. Mesh shaders completely change the way graphics are rendered, by moving away from a fixed pipeline. For decades rendering was followed a strict sequence that can suffer from significant inefficiencies, such as forcing the culling of obstructed objects to happen after some shading work has already been done. With mesh shaders rendering is treated more as a computational process, and allows actions to be taken at various times. Previously a mesh shader feature test was released to 3DMark that showed performance could increase by multiple factors with this technology. The feature tests for VRS also showed very significant performance increases, but I seem to recall it being a little tamer than the mesh shader test.

Source: UL Benchmarks

The last bit of news I have for the week is a rather interesting and potentially very significant one as Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express, UCIe, has been launched along with the UCIe 1.0 specification. The purpose of this new group is to develop open standards for an open chiplet ecosystem as many chip companies and designers are moving to chiplet designs from monolithic. AMD, Intel, Arm, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Meta (formerly Facebook), Qualcomm, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Samsung, and TSMC are all part of this consortium, and these founding companies ratified the UCIe specification for a package level interconnect. Die-to-die communication and protocols, and the software stack are covered by this specification. The software leverages PCIe and Compute Express Link, CXL, which are both industry standards.

By setting a single set of standards, these companies can find some of the process in developing chiplets simplified, and it should make interoperability between chiplets of different manufacturers possible as well. As the Anandtech article points out, this initiative is benefiting from the lessons learned from PCIe and how that standard has supported a massive ecosystem of expansion cards. The UCIe standard can also bring economic benefits, by enabling chiplets from different manufacturers and different process technologies to be combined more easily. Simultaneously, it enables greater customization of chips too, as specialized chiplets can be applied to ad features to chips.

The interest in chiplets has been growing for years now, undoubtedly supported by AMD's success with the Zen architecture that has been using a chiplet design since the original Zeppelin dies. By developing a single design that can be combined with others on the same package, AMD has benefited significantly from the economics of scale as a single compute die can be manufactured and then binned to cover the complete product stack.

This first UCIe specification, however, is actually coming from Intel, as the company has shared it with the industry. This is not the first time the company has shared interconnect technologies broadly as USB, Thunderbolt 3, and even PCIe started with that company. It is worth noting though that EMIB or Foveros are not part of the UCIe specification, but this is appropriate as its design is to be bridge-agnostic. So long as the chiplet obeys the standard, including bump pitch, one UCIe chiplet should be able to speak with another, regardless of the bridging method. The spec also allows for communication off-chip. While this will see power efficiency and latency sacrificed, both goals of chiplet designs, there could be uses for this capability within server racks.

It will be very interesting to see how this technology develops and how some companies leverage the possibilities it will allow.

Source: Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express, Business Wire (UCIe Announcement) and

February 25, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 21'

9:48

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 21

It is the end of the last full week in February and time to go through some of the video game news. First up is news from Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog as the publisher and developer have released a new trailer for Shadow Warrior 3. This is the game's final gameplay trailer before its launch on March 1 and shows off various weapons and tactics for eliminating your enemies. This includes the ability to rip a weapon or tool from an enemy, empowering you to more effectively, and more stylishly dispatch with their comrades.

Shadow Warrior 3 releases March 1 to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Shadow Warrior 3)

Next we have a couple pieces of news from Prime Matter as two of its upcoming titles now have demos available as part of the current Steam Next Fest. First up is Crossfire: Legion from Smilegate, an RTS that will feature tactical action in battles set in a near future. For this demo you can fight on three challenging maps and play as one of three factions, controlling their unique commander. Fans will already know two of the factions, but with this latest trailer the New Horizon faction has been revealed. This is a global corporate syndicate with the goal of transcending the limits of humanity by leveraging AI technology in all aspects of society. The other two factions are Global Risk, a mercenary organization, and Black List, a mercenary group that broke from Global List and its corrupt policies.

The other Prime Matter title with a demo for Next Fest is The Last Oricru from GoldKnights. This is a third-person, action-RPG set in a medieval sci-fi world ready for war, and as you play, you will face choices that influence the world in many ways. Naturally there can be different endings, and the characters can be impacted as well, but even the visuals of levels and gameplay flow will be influenced by your decisions. The game's factions pay attention to what you do and who you kill.

This is the first public demo for the game and includes its first two areas along with some of the plot-affecting decisions. You can also engage in local, two-player co-op if you wish, while the game will have online co-op when it releases.

Steam Next Fest ends on February 28.

Source: Press Releases (Prime Matter – Crossfire: Legion and The Last Oricru)

Square Enix has shared a new trailer for its upcoming title, Babylon's Fall, with its focus being on combat. The game will allow you to wield up to four weapons and the proper combination of them can be particularly devastating, so a Combat 101 trailer is fairly appropriate. For those with a modern PlayStation you can try its demo, launching today, but the full release is not far away.

Besides showing off some of the weapons and techniques you will be able to use with your Gideon Coffin, the trailer also provides a glimpse of what the game will receive with its Season 1 roadmap, covering today to May 31. New game modes, weapons types, armor, quests, story content, bosses, and even a new faction will be coming as part of Season 1, and the Premium Battle Bass is free for all players during the season.

Babylon's Fall is releasing March 3 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition, however, will have access starting February 28.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Babylon's Fall)

Elex II is releasing March 1 and to prepare players for what it will offer, THQ Nordic has released its Explanation Trailer. For Jax to survive in Magalan, with its warring factions and dangerous wildlife, he will need to regain his powers. To start you will have basic weapons, but if you join one of the factions, you will gain access to special equipment and abilities, but you can remain faction-less, alone except for your companions. The choice will be use on how you fight to save your world.

Elex II is coming on March 1 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: THQ Nordic (Elex II)

Today marks the release of the Steam Deck, and so THQ Nordic has shared a list of its games that have achieved "Verified" and "Playable" status. With Verified games, you are good to just start playing, but Playable may require some tweaking, with the example given of having to select a community controller config, or needing to use the touchscreen to navigate a launcher.

The list only has four games under Verified and ten under Playable, but both will grow as more titles are verified, so check out the source link for the latest information.

Source: THQ Nordic (Steam Deck Verified and Playable Games

Also shared by THQ Nordic this week was its acquisition of metricminds, a Frankfurt-based studio that form in 2001 for creating cutscenes, trailers, motion capture, and more that are delivered in-engine. It has worked on Dying Light, Borderlands 2, Darksiders III, Batman Arkham Origins, The Remnant: From the Ashes, and more. As a result of this acquisition, it will be a subsidiary of THQ Nordic.

Source: THQ Nordic (metricminds)

February 18, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 14'

11:03

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 14

We are half way through February now, which means Valentine's Day is behind us, but not yet all of the sales. GOG is holding a We Love Games sale that closes on Monday, so you still have time to pick up some DRM-free games, including some new titles to the store's library. Cloudpunk, Partisans 1941 and the Giant series are all available from GOG now and are all discounted as well, so you may want to take a look over the weekend.

Source: GOG (We Love Games sale)

Coming to the game news for the week, we have some from The Arcade Crew for Infernax, which launched this week but also had a special trailer release. Infernax is a game meant to recreate some of the fun from classic Zelda and Castlevania games, but the developers at Berzerk Studio decided to pay homage to another NES classic, with an all too familiar cheat code. Rather than playing as a knight with a trusty mace to defeat the demons threatening the world, you can be armed with a machine gun, 30 lives, unique skills, and jump flips. The recommendation is to play the game normally first, but it is hard to say this does not look like a fun experience.

Infernax launched on Tuesday for the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew – Infernax)

CD Projekt Red has been busy working on Cyberpunk 2077 and this week released its v1.5 patch that brings a lot of changes with it for PC, but also for consoles. This is the next-generation update of the game so it can take better advantage of the capabilities of the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. The PC version has received attentions as well, with a new benchmark mode, an option to toggling on walking when using a keyboard, Variable Rate Shading for improving performance on supporting hardware, and FidelityFX Super Resolution that replaces Contrast Adaptive Sharpening. The complete list of changes is quite long, but it includes adding apartments you can rent in Night City, and they share the same stash. Mirrors in your apartments and safehouses can be used to make tweaks to your appearance for free and as often as you wish. Combat AI has seen tweaks, as has the crowd, drive model, and vehicle traffic. The list is pretty long but can be found at the source link.

Source: CD Projekt Red (Cyberpunk 2077)

Coming from Devolver Digital and Sos Sosowski later this year is McPixel 3 to answer the question of what happened to McPixel 2. In this title you will see the wanna-be hero constantly getting into crazy situations as he tries to save the world, and always need to find some way to avert disaster. Sometimes the solution involves "summoning a spider billionaire, having a BBQ in his pants, punching a T-Rex into outerspace, peeing on sports cars, and kicking Fork Parker in the balls." As I said, it is coming from Devolver Digital later in 2022.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – McPixel 3)

Koch Media, Milestone, and Feld Entertainment have shared the first gameplay trailer for Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5. This entry in the series will offer enhanced bike control so players have greater freedom and precision. At the same time, the suspension system and drift management have been improved as well, so you can be more aggressive without fear of falling off when opening the throttle at the end.

The game is releasing on March 17 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5)

Tomb Raider is 25 years old and Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics decided to celebrate with a special charity event. Artists from around the world have created reimagined box art for the Tomb Raider games, and for a limited time the set can be purchased for $49, with all of the proceeds going to the Girls Make Games program that works to inspire the next generation of game designers, creators, and engineers. The artists were selected so the collection would have an array of styles, and they were given full freedom with their work. The result is versions of Lara Croft in comic, anime, whimsical, realistic, and surrealistic styles. The source link is to the Square Enix store page for the set, but you can also find the list of artists who created the new box art there as well, which game they created it for.

Source: Square Enix (Tomb Raider Reimagined Box Art)

Closing it out this week is some news from Techland, which only released Dying Light 2 earlier this month, but has already released its first free DLC. The Authority skin pack allows players to equip themselves with gear representing the Peacekeepers, a very ordered and disciplined faction in the game. It arrives in three parts, but all three released this week. The first includes gear for your chest, legs, and foot slots while the second has gauntlets, a windbreaker, and guards. The final part features the two-handed Authority hammer, to help you ensure the NPCs know to follow the rules. The next skin pack will be the Ronin pack and it too should arrive in three parts soon.

In addition to the news of the DLC, the developers have also begun a contest with a customized PC as its grand prize. It will feature an Intel Core i9-12900k paired with an RTX 3090 FE, so you can fight the infected and Renegades with exceptional performance. There is more being given away than just that though, as three Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 gaming chairs have been added to the prize list, along with three BenQ Mobiuz monitors and 20 HyperX Cloud II headphones, all with branding for the game. To enter the contest you need to share your best clip from the game before February 19 at 5 PM CET with the appropriate hashtags, as you can see described here: Twitter @DyingLightGame.

Naturally the first prize in this contest is the customized PC along with one of the Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 chairs and BenQ Mobiuz monitors. The second prize, which will go to two winners, is similar but lacks the computer; a Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 chair and BenQ Mobiuz monitor. Third prize goes to 20 winners and includes a 2 month GeForce Now Priority subscription and themed HyperX Cloud II headphones. Best of luck to all who enter.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2) and Twitter @DyingLightGame

February 11, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 7'

8:09

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of February 7

Once again the week has come to its end, so it is time to go through the video game news of the week, and a little more at the end. Starting things off is some time-sensitive news, of a sort, as EA has shared its Madden NFL 22 Super Bowl LVI prediction. According to the game, the Cincinnati Bengals will win its first Super Bowl with a score of 24-21, after a close game against the Los Angeles Rams. Of course you can check out the source link before to get all of the details EA is predicting, including that the Bengals will be down 14-7 at halftime, based on this latest Madden title and NFL Next Gen Stats player data.

Source: EA (Madden NFL 22 Super Bowl LVI Prediction)

That is not the only piece of time-sensitive news as Prime Matter is marking Valentine's Day with a 70% discount on Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Both the base game and the Royal Edition are so discounted, while the DLC are 60% off except for The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon. This DLC is free, so you can follow Sir Hans as he attempts the fairest maid he has ever seen and has to rely on his charm, and his wingman, Henry. Both the sale and the free DLC go until February 14, so you have some time.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Kingdom Come: Deliverance) and Steam Store Page

One last Valentine's Day sale to mention as EK Water Blocks is holding one until February 18. During this time GPU water block and backplate bundles are discounted, select EK-Classic products are 15% off, and all EK-AIO coolers are 15%. Additionally, all orders through the EK Online Shop will include a gift. If you have been considering an upgrade to your system's cooling, this might be a good place to start.

Source: EKWB Valentine's Day Sale

Dotemu has shared a new trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, revealing that Master Splinter will be among the roster of playable characters for the game. Unlike the Turtles, Splinter has a much calmer personality, but as a master of the ninja arts, he should never be dismissed lightly. With his staff and wide-reaching moves, he can deal with groups of enemies as he unleashes powerful attacks.

Also revealed this week was that the game will be coming to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Previously the title was only announced for PC and Nintendo Switch. We do not have a release date yet, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is targeting a launch later this year.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

A new DLC is coming for Evil Genius 2 from Rebellion, this one featuring a new genius; Polar. Her goal is to freeze the world with her Z.E.R.O. Doomsday Device, and she has some new minions and devices to help, as well as new foes to face.

Rather than targeting the land, Polar's aim is on the oceans, and this DLC adds five Ocean Regions to control, along with submarines and turrets that the new Engineer minions will work on from their Workshop. Adding a layer of complexity to your base management is a temperature system, as your minions will be more or less productive depending on if they are too cold or too hot. This means heaters and air conditioners will need to be placed strategically to optimize your base. As for the new enemies, there is a new Force of Justice Agent type and a new Super-Agent that comes armored. Fortunately you can turn the Super-Agent to your side.

This new Oceans Campaign Pack is available now for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. It is included as part of the Season Pass and can be purchased separately for $11.99.

Source: Rebellion (Evil Genius 2)

Square Enix has announced Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, a remaster of Chrono Cross is coming. This remaster of the 1999 title will feature upgraded 3D models, improved background music, and enhancements to the combat, but perhaps most importantly for Western fans, the Radical Dreamers adventures that had not released in these regions previously.

Chrono Cross is a classic RPG following the story of Serge, a young man that finds himself transported to another world where no one recognizes him, because the Serge they knew died as a child. Now he has a quest between the two worlds that will reveal the connection between his existence and the planet's future.

For this remaster the models and font have been upgraded for modern displays, and the original character designer, Nobuteru Yuuki, has returned for the character redesigns. The original composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, has also returned to add a new track and refine the original music. Quality of Life improvements include an auto-battle function, an option to disable enemy encounters, game speed manipulation, and Battle Boosts to make battles easier, if your focus is just on story progression.

Chrono Cross; The Radical Dreamers Edition is releasing April 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Square Enix (Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition)

Lastly we have news on two acquisitions, starting with AMD that had announced in October 2020 that it intended to purchase Xilinx in an all-stock transaction. Xilinx is a company known for highly flexible and adaptive computing systems, being the inventory of the FPGA and Adaptive SoCs. Unlike other designs, FPGAs are processors that can have their circuitry effectively rewritten to meet the needs of new tasks. As more advanced workloads come up, accelerating them has become necessary to manage the most complex tasks, which is where this capability comes into play.

This week AMD announced it received approval from those the necessary authorities for this acquisition, and the deal is expected to close on February 14. The next few years will be interesting as we see how Xilinx's technologies are deployed in current AMD product lines, and who new technologies are developed as a result of this merger.

Source: AMD (Xilinx Acquisition Passes Approvals)

The other bit of acquisition news from this week is NVIDIA's bid to acquire Arm has ended. The regulatory challenges the two companies were facing were too great. Arm has maintained neutrality in the industry, enabling its designs to be found across a variety of devices and the company to partner with many others, including competitors to NVIDIA, which was certainly a source of concern from regulators. Though the agreement has been terminated, under its terms NVIDIA has paid $1.25 billion; a consequence of the deal failing.

At the same time, SoftBank, the current owners of Arm, announced it is preparing a public offering with the aim of it happening during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. The company had been public prior to SoftBank's acquisition in 2016 and the group is certainly hoping to get more than the $32 billion it spent then.

Source: NVIDIA (Arm Acquisition Terminated)

February 04, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 31'

12:03

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 31

It is Friday once again and so is also time to cover some of the video game news from the week. First up is some from 2K as the publisher and Gearbox Software have revealed the last two classes for the upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. These are the Graveborn and Spore Warden, with the former being Death-touched acolytes that spend health for their Dark Magic attacks, while the latter are masters of nature that can create tornados and fire arcane arrow volleys at enemies. Both also have special companions, with the Graveborn have a Demi-Lich that will cast spells each time you do while the Mushroom Companion of the Spore Warden releases toxins against its targets.

If these two classes sound too interesting to choose between, or any of the other classes, Brr-Zerker, Clawbringer, Spellshot, or Stabbomancer, the game will feature a multiclass system, so once you unlock a second class shot you will get to pair two together. Each class has its own Class Feat as well as two Action Skills to choose between, along with their skill trees of other abilities.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will be releasing on March 25 for the PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The initial PC launch will be on the Epic Games Store with the game coming to other digital storefronts later in the year.

Next is some news from Devolver Digital as Shadow Warrior 3 finally has its release date announced. Gamers will have their chance to play as Lo Wang as he plays with his katana and other weapons on March 1. Pre-ordering will get you the exclusive Koromodako Katana with its eight legs, and those who get it one console will also receive the 2013 Shadow Warrior and Shadow Warrior 2.

Also revealed was that Mike Moh, Andromeda Dunker, and SungWon Cho have joined the voice cast as Lo Wang, Motoko, and Zilla respectively, while Alex Dobrenko returns as Hoji. It is behind an age-gate, but you can watch the latest trailer here: Shadow Warrior 3 | March 1.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Shadow Warrior 3)

The King of Fighters XV is releasing on February 17 and Koch Media and SNK Corporation have shared who the first 12 DLC characters for the title will be. The first wave of fighters is Team GAROU and will release in March, while the second wave is Team SOUTH TOWN, which will arrive in May. The third and fourth teams will follow in the Summer and Autumn and each of these four teams consist of three characters. Team GAROU consists of Rock Howard, Jenet, and Gato from Garou: Mark of the Wolves while Team SOUTH TOWN contains Geese Howard, Billy Kane, and Ryuji Yamazaki from the Fatal Fury series.

The King of Fighters XV is priced at $59.99 for the base game and the DLC that includes both of these teams will be $29.99. If you prefer to purchase just one of the teams, the individual DLC is priced at $15.99, each.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – The King of Fighters XV)

Sifu from Slocap is releasing on February 8 for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 so the developers decided to release a special video; The Cost of Time a live-action short. To create this, the studio partnered with Christopher Clark Cowan to show the main character hunting down one of the assassin's that killed his father. In the game, failure is not the end as you are resurrected, but at the cost of years from your life, something depicted in the video. What is lost is strength though, you gain in experience so victory remains possible, if different in how it will be achieved.

Source: Press Release (Slocap – Sifu)

Dying Light 2 from Techland releases today and this week the studio released another installment to its Dying 2 Know More series, this one concerning the game's day-night cycle. In Dying Light the night could be quite intimidating for those not prepared for it, as some of the most dangerous enemies prowled around the map then, but things are a bit different in the sequel. The powerful enemies are still out when the sun goes down, but because they have left the buildings to explore, you can enter and explore the buildings a little more safely to find the usually guarded loot. Of course, if you are not careful you may find yourself in a chase and wishing you slept in a safe house until dawn.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2)

January 28, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 24'

11:47

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 24

It is the end of the week again, and nearly the end of the month as well, so it is time to go through the video game news that has collected. First up is the time-sensitive news that Lunar New Year sales have begun at multiple digital storefronts, including Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Humble Store. For Steam, its sale ends on February 3 but the Epic Games Store is going until February 10. GOG on the other hand ends on January 31 and the Humble Store's only until February 1, so you at least have the weekend to decide what games you may want, and where to purchase them from.

Source: Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and Humble Store

As for the news of the week, we are starting with an announcement from Crytek as Crysis 4 is coming. While that is just the working title at the moment, it is the fourth installment in the franchise that has certainly left its mark on the industry. Unfortunately there are no real details to share yet, as the game is in the early stages of development, though the studio is promising to share information when it can, and to work with the community.

Source: Crytek (Crysis 4)

Normally this would wait, but as it is also Crytek news, Hunt: Showdown, published by Prime Matter, has received it 1.7.2 patch on PC this week, bringing a host of updates with it. These include the return of Mr. Orwell Chary, who will exchange Bloodline XP for various rewards, like the exclusive "Bad Hand" Legendary Hunter. New rewards are also coming for first-time daily extractions along with legendary content and weapon variants. Starting February 1 a new DLC, Azure Arsenal, will be released on Steam to celebrate the Lunar New Year and it will come with three Legendary Weapon skins and a Legendary Tool.

If the game or its DLC sound interesting to you, it is on sale until February 3.

Source: Crytek (Hunt: Showdown)

Coming to Devolver Digital now, another episode of Road to Weird West has been released, this one focused on the combat, stealth, and abilities of the upcoming title. The featured abilities include those to immolate enemies within a radius around you, shoot multiple enemies at once, and summon lightning to strike them down, at least if your style is open combat. Other abilities will support stealth, if that is your preference, or you are running low on bullets.

Weird West is releasing on March 31 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Weird West)

EA is next and the company announced with Lucasfilm Games that the two are working on new games set in the Star Wars universe and Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Apex Legends, the Titanfall series, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be leading the projects. In total there are three projects, and work has already begun on them. One is the next entry in the Star Wars Jedi series, while another is an FPS,, and the last will be a strategy game. That last one is being done in collaboration with Bit Reactor, a newly formed studio.

That is all we have for now on these projects, but certainly we will learn more as work continues.

Source: EA

Koch Media has announced the Monster Trucks Expansion for Hot Wheels Unleashed will be arriving on April 21. This expansion will include five new vehicles, a themed Track Builder Module, other themed customization items, and the Stop Motion Studio environment. Within this new environment are four monster dioramas, the Jungle, the Quarry, the Desert, and the Ice Mountain to play in.

Along with being able to purchase on April 21, this expansion will be included as part of Hot Wheels Pass Vol. 2.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Hot Wheels Unleashed)

Rebellion has released a new cinematic trailer for Sniper Elite 5 that will be releasing later this year. Though a cinematic trailer, it contains some hints for the game's Invasion mode that will enable players to enter the campaigns of others as an Axis Sniper to eliminate them, and give the player the additional goal of stopping them.

When Invasion Mode is enabled, unique skills will be available to both players. The Axis Sniper will be able to use the AI Axis forces to assist their hunt, such as with Eagle Eyes, the marks the Allied Sniper on the map, if they are spotted. The Allied Sniper will be able to find invasion phones in the map to reveal the last known location of the Axis Sniper, but these can be booby trapped and overuse can reveal your location.

Both sides of Invasion Mode can earn special rewards for success, with the Axis Sniper being able to get new weapons, items, and skin unlocks, while the Allied Sniper can get weapon and character skins. This is in addition to the extra XP awarded. It does sound like this could prove an interesting addition to the experience, especially as human players can be much more interesting to tangle with than AI opponents.

Galactic Civilizations IV, after having gone on sale in an Alpha state, has reached its Beta release. This game introduces several changes to Stardock's space-based 4X series, one being scale as your civilization can span the entire galaxy, as it is grouped into systems and sectors. To help with managing such massive cultures, you can make some planets core worlds where you have direct control, and others colonies that will act on their own to support the others. You are also able to place citizens in key positions throughout your government to help you, but you need to be careful that they do not see an opportunity to overthrow you.

The plan is for the game to reach full release later this year.

Source: Stardock (Galactic Civilizations IV)

Lastly for the regular game news we have some from Techland for Dying Light 2, which releases on February 4 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The studio revealed it will be supporting the game for five years post-release and we can expect its first story DLC to arrive this Summer. Naturally the five years will not be filled exclusively with story DLC, but we can expect some along with events, challenges, cosmetics, weapons, and more.

The studio also released a new audio story name Takeshi, voiced by Takaya Kuroda, who you might better know as Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza game series and another Dying 2 Know More episode. This latest episode in the series looks at the artistic inspiration and details of the studio's artists' daily work.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Finishing things off is some news from Khronos, the group behind the Vulkan graphics API as its 1.3 specification has been released. There are a number of changes coming with this like new features, but one of the more important changes is more structural; Vulkan Profiles. Presently there is a core Vulkan implementation for basic hardware support, but it is not necessarily very powerful or expansive in features. To increase capabilities, extensions can be used but the situation has become somewhat messy as there are no clear rules on what works with what. Profiles are meant to address this by specifying a set of required extensions that can then be easily communicated, which will help ensure applications can be supported across different devices. Developers will be able to generate their own application-specific feature profiles, so it can be easily determined if a device supports that profile and then the features can be enabled at startup. By the way, the core of Vulkan 1.3 is meant to work on OpenGL ES 3.1-class hardware, to give you an idea of how different the core version is from what a profile for a modern video game would be.

Though it does get complicated, it might be worth reading through the announcement from Khronos to learn what else is arriving with this specification, such as a special dynamic rendering feature that can skip subpasses and making a render pass or framebuffer objects. Also a dot product shader, which should prove useful in machine learning, where the dot product function is used because this shader enables hardware acceleration and without having to manually implement it.

Source: Khronos (Vulkan 1.3)

January 21, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 17'

11:00

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 17

It is the end of the week and so is time to go through the different pieces of video game news that have collected, and though this is not alphabetical order, it is only appropriate to cover the biggest piece of news first. Microsoft announced this week it is acquiring Activision Blizzard. This is an all cash transaction at $95 a share, which comes to $68.7 billion, and when it closes Microsoft will be the third-largest gaming company, by revenue, in the world. The two ahead of the merged company would be Tencent and Sony. As Activision Blizzard also includes King, that means the Warcraft, Diablo, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush IPs will be joining the likes of DOOM, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout as Microsoft previously acquired Bethesda. We can expect the Activision Blizzard titles to come to Microsoft Game Pass once the deal closes and that is expected in fiscal year 2023, following regulatory review and Activision Blizzard's shareholder approval. The current CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, will continue in his position, and once the deal closes the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

Source: Microsoft (Activision Blizzard Acquisition Announcement)

Coming to alphabetical order, we start with news from 1047 Games, the studio behind Splitgate as its Season 1 is starting next week, on January 27, and will bring a host of new features, modes, and enhancements, not least of which is the custom map creator. With this tool, players will be able to build their own maps and co-create them with friends. Objects, weapons, spawns, building blocks, portal walls, and more can all be placed, and with magnetic snapping and rotation, placing it all should be quite easy. It will also work with keyboard and mouse as well as controller.

Another significant change coming is an overhaul of the Foregone Destruction map, to bring it up to the level fans can expect for map updates and new maps. The Evolution Game mode is arriving at the same time to change things around a little. It is a round-based mode where the losing team of the previous round is awarded better weapon loadouts. Another round-base mode arriving then is the One Flag CTF mode, where teams will go between defending and capturing. These two modes bring the game's total to 21. There will also be a new Level 100 Battle Pass with the new season, bringing free and paid content.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games – Splitgate)

Coming to Koch Media now, the publisher along with Milestone have begun the SpongeBob Racing Season in Hot Wheels Unleashed, giving players a chance to unlock six themed vehicles. These vehicles are based on SpongeBob SquarePants, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward, Plankton, Mr. Krabs, and Patrick, and there are themed customization items to unlock for the Basement and Player Profile as well. This seasons goes until March 29.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Hot Wheels Unleashed)

There was more than the one acquisition announced this week as publisher Maximum Games revealed it is acquiring Mane6, the studio behind Them's Fightin Herds, a 2D fighting game featuring adorable animals designed by cartoon producer Lauren Faust. In November 2021 Maximum Games itself was acquired by the gaming group Zordix and controls the Modus Studios development team, so with this acquisition Mane6 will be joining Modus Studios.

Source: Press Release (Maximum Games acquiring Mane6)

Prime Matter and Smilegate have announced Crossfire: Legion, an upcoming real-time strategy game will be coming to a Beta Test before entering Early Access this Spring. Set in the Crossfire universe, this game will pit players against each other as rival factions in the fight for global domination. To join the beta you need to register on Steam for it on the game's page, which is the second source below. If you get in you will be able to play as the Blacklist or Global Risk factions for 1v1 or 3v3 multiplayer on two maps.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Crossfire Legion) and Steam Store Page (Beta Test Registration)

It is Techland's turn as the studio has shared a new Dying 2 Know More video that gives a better look at Dying Light 2's parkour with Lead Game Designer Tymon Smekta?a. Parkour mechanics, in-game gravity, and how the game approaches reality, without getting too close, are discussed. Of course it is also not much longer before we can find out for ourselves with the game releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on February 4. Unfortunately the release of the Cloud Version for Nintendo Switch has been delayed, but is promised for within six months of the date of the other consoles.

In better news though, Techland has confirmed PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners will be able to upgrade their copies of <>Dying Light 2 to the respective new generation of consoles. Also co-op between Steam and Epic Games Store users will be available at launch and for the entire game, except the prologue, right to the ending. Guests will keep acquired items and progression and while players can vote on important choices, the host has the final decision. Unfortunately crossplay between Sony and Microsoft platforms will not be available at launch, but will hopefully be among the many additions and improvements planned for post-launch.

Also this week Techland shared a new behind the scenes video for the Dying 2 Know series that has reached its end and announced its Techland Merch Store where you can purchase different kind of apparel to cover your Nightrunner needs. The store is available for the US, EK, and EU regions.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2) and Techland Merch

Wrapping this up is the announcement from Ubisoft for the new Pirate Hero arriving in For Honor on January 27 for its Year 5, Season 4 Title Update 2.0 release. This pirate comes with their cutlass and pistol as the first of the new Outlanders group of heroes. More of this group will arriving during Year 6: Lost Horizons starting March 17. The pirates have practiced their attacks on enemies from across the seas, making their fighting style unique as they engage with a relentless rush down style. By mixing Pistol Blast with Heavy Attacks they can keep the pressure on with this chain.

For those who want to play as the Pirate Hero immediately, it is included in a $7.99 package that also contains an exclusive ornament, elite outfit, three scavenger creates, and seven days of Champion Status. If you can wait, the package will be available for 15,000 Steel in-game starting February 10.

Source: Ubisoft (For Honor)

January 14, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 10'

10:44

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 10

Once again the week has reached its end and so it is time to go through the various press releases and other news that have collected in my inbox. First up is some from The Arcade Crew as Inferax from Berzerk Studio has received its launch date of February 14. On that day this retro action-adventure will arrive on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, enabling you to hunt the hell spawn as the knight Alcedor. He has returned to his home after a brutal battle only to find it overrun by underworld beasts, requiring he raise his mace again to save the world. Along the way he will learn now and powerful abilities, uncover secrets, and define his legacy as he encounters various moral conundrums.

To get a glimpse of its 8-bit action, you can watch the release-date reveal trailer below.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew – Infernax)

In something of a surprise, Devolver Digital, Croteam, and Timelock Studio have announced Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, a standalone expansion is arriving January 25. This title adds to Sam 'Serious' Stone's adventures, this time in Russian landscapes, with five massive missions. These are set along Arctic coastlines, desolate forests, abandoned villages, and a chilling ghost town and contain new enemies and bosses to defeat. Fortunately you will also have new weapons and vehicles to help you, like the experimental crossbow, snowmobiles, and massive mechs.

For those wondering about Timelock Studio, it is a community modding team that had started Siberian Mayhem as an ambitious project, but under the guidance of Croteam has become this expansion. The title is up for pre-order now and those who own Serious Sam 4 will receive a discount.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem)

Koch Media, Milestone, and Mattel have announced a new Design Battle for Hot Wheels Unleashed that will see someone's livery design realized. The game features a Livery Editor so you can have your vehicles appear the way you wish and for this contest you can submit your designs for the Rodger Dodger with the winning seeing it produced for global sale in December. Though the release is at the end of the year, this contest is only running until February 14 with the winner being notified on February 28.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Hot Wheels Unleashed) and Contest Rules and FAQ

Techland shared the final episode of Dying 2 Know this week, the series of behind-the-scenes videos to give fans information about the upcoming Dying Light 2. For this finale, the studio decided to answer some of the most common questions for the game, such as if there will be co-op, and the answer is yes; 4-player co-op more specifically. The episode also includes a video comparing the differences between the console versions, as this is a multi-generation release, and a gameplay trailer titled "The Reason." The answer for way Aiden has come to the City and what his goal is revealed in this video, along with showing more of the action we can expect on February 4.

Dying Light 2 will release to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch via its Cloud Version.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

The new combat trailer for Elex II has been shared by THQ Nordic, showing how Jax is going to fight to rid Magalan of its invaders. Fire can rain down on them; arrows, bullets, rockets, and lasers and strike them; and sword, axe, and chainsaw can slice them, depending on your preference. You can focus on melee, magic, or ranged combat, or mix the three along with the many skills to protect your home.

Elex II releases on March 1 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 with pre-orders already up.

Source: THQ Nordic [2] (Elex II)

THQ Nordic has also shared some new information and trailers for Expeditions: Rome, which releases on January 20. Most of the trailers feature the Speculatores, characters you meet on your adventures and are able to add to your group of heroes. These characters range from a former gladiator to a prototype of a heavy Roman infantry soldier. In total there are five of those trailers to check out, but that is not all that has been shared as a new trailer for the Twitch Extension has been released as well. This is actually a reactions trailer to show the impacts some streamers have already experienced in their games as viewers influence their game. The extension and the Twitch-drop campaign will be available when the game launches.

Source: THQ Nordic [1] (Expeditions: Rome)

Ubisoft has announced The Settlers, the reboot o

f the classic RTS series, will be releasing on March 17, but if that is too long to wait, there will also be a closed beta starting January 20. For this game the developers at Ubisoft Dusseldorf looked primarily to The Settlers III and The Settlers IV and worked with the Snowdrop Engine to realize their vision for the reboot, and set a new visual standard for the genre. Biomes will be lush and colorful while also combined with modernized gameplay between the single-player campaign, Skirmish, and Onslaught game modes.

There will be two editions at release, the Standard Edition with just the base game and the Deluxe Edition that also includes a pack of digital items. As for the beta, it will include the tutorial, two of the three playable factions, and two Skirmish modes for 1v1 and 2v2. The beta will run from January 20 to 24 on Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store, and there will be no time limit for that period. You can register for the closed beta at thesettlers.com.

Source: Ubisoft – The Settlers

Time for some non-gaming news, which will start with some from EKWB as the company has launched its EK-Quantum Velocity² water block for Intel's LGA1200 socket. It has been designed to follow the company's Matrix7 initiative, meaning the height of the block and distance between the ports are multiples of 7 mm, to make building your loop easier. It also features a socket-specific cooling engine, to make the block as efficient as possibly at cooling the CPUs it covers. Installation will also be easy and clean as the water block top contains pre-tensioned springs so turning the thumb-nuts a few times achieves the desired mounting pressure.

There are five versions of this water block to hopefully cover whatever your aesthetic preference is. You can combine Nickel with plexi, acetal, or satin Titanium, go with Full Nickel, or choose the Copper and acetal version. Pricing is either $136.99 or $178.99, depending on the variant, with the Full Nickel and Nickel + Satin Titanium being the more expensive. Those more expensive models are expected to ship in early March while the others should be shipping in late February.

Source: EKWB (EK-Quantum Velocity² LGA1200 Block)

Next we have a piece of news that may not really come to impact users too much, or at least not for quite some time. PCI-SIG has released the specification for PCIe 6.0, the successor to PCIe 5.0 that, like the increments before it, doubles the number of transfers per seconds. That means a PCIe 6 x16 slot can carry as much as 128 GB/sec, so a x4 slot of this spec would be equivalent to a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot.

Among the ways this improvement has been achieved is the adoption of PAM4, Pulse Amplitude Modulation, 4 levels, which offers more states, four as the name suggests, than traditional methods. Normally a signal is sent comprised of high and low voltages, and signals received below a certain threshold are interpreted as 0 and above that threshold as a 1. With PAM4 there are four levels instead, so 00, 01, 10, and 11 can be carried by a single signal, instead of two. With this method being so much more complex, there is greater likelihood of errors, so methods of dealing with the bit error rate have been developed. You can read the source link to learn more about how this standard will still achieve the low latency and bandwidth overhead considered central to PCIe.

Besides offering an increase to bandwidth, PCIe 6.0 is also offering greater power efficiency, and so we will likely see it deployed in those applications that require less energy. Unfortunately it is hard to say when it may arrive in any consumer devices. Partly this is because it always takes time for such new technologies to escape the professional market of datacenters, but also with PCIe 5.0 still being quite new, I can believe that standard will outcompete this one for a time. Additionally, it is hard to see how much benefit a consumer may get from the higher transfer speeds this offers. For anyone wondering about how quickly PCI-SIG has gone from releasing one specification to another, it admitted to lagging with the release of PCIe 4.0, coming seven years after PCIe 3.0, but gave itself a target of new releases ever two years. That means we may expect PCIe 7.0 to be announced in 2023, and potentially double the bandwidth again.

Source: PCI-SIG (PCIe 6.0 Specification)

Closing this item off is some new from MIT about a new kind of hybrid particle with possible applications in data storage. This new hybrid particle is the combination of an electron and phonon, the quasiparticle of vibrational energy, and what was discovered is that in a two-dimension magnetic material, the bond between them was ten times stronger than any similar bond observed to date. This suggests then that changes in one will impact the other, so potentially the application of voltage or light could be used to tune electrical and magnetic properties. The phonon is able to affect the material's structural or magnetic properties, and the researchers see the potential for using the phenomenon and nickel phosphorus trisulfide, the material, as a magnetic semiconductor.

When this material is cooled to -123 ºC, it becomes antiferromagnetic, so the spins of each atom are opposite the other, unlike in a ferromagnet, where they all align. While probing the material, an unusual behavior was observed when below that temperature and by using an ultrafast laser, it was possible to capture what was happening. The laser had pulses of just 25 femtoseconds, which is a million times shorter than 25 nanoseconds, and these were split for pump-probe setup. One pulse would arrive first to pump energy into the material, while the second would capture the response. What they observed was the reflectivity of the material changed, implying hybrid particles were present. It was with further testing that they determined the strength of the bond within the hybrid was so much stronger than any other electron-phonon hybrid.

Source: MIT

January 07, 2022

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 3'

12:26

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of January 3

It is the end of the first week of the year, and the week of CES 2022. The news from and around that event I have already covered in other items this week, so now it is time for the gaming news that has collected in my inbox, starting with some from Dotemu. This news is for Windjammers 2, which is releasing on January 20, as a documentary video has been released that goes into the making of this sequel to an arcade classic. It is nearly 28 minutes long though, so it will take some time to watch, but if you remember the original or are anxious for the new title, it will likely be time well spent.

Windjammers 2 is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on January 20 at a price of $19.99.

Source: Dotemu (Windjammers 2)

Next we have some items from Techland concerning Dying Light 2, which is releasing February 4. With the release now less than a month away and 2021 have just ended, the company has shared a summary video for the year, to help players catch up on it all: Dying 2 Know – 2021 Summary. Additionally, the next and final Dying 2 Know episode has been announced as arriving on January 13. This will include new gameplay and represent a "huge info drop for fans" when it streams on Twitch January 13, starting at Noon PT, 9 PM CET.

In addition to that news, Techland has also revealed two skill trees for the game and explained experience in a new trailer. Both skill trees contain new parkour and combat skills for Aiden Caldwell to use. To progress through these trees, you will want to perform different in-game actions that fall into the categories of parkour and combat. Normal playing will earn you experience but completing missions will fill both bars up quickly, unlocking skills that may help you earn experience even faster.

Dying Light 2 is releasing February 4 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch via its Cloud Version.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly we have the news from Ubisoft that its Ubisoft+ subscription service is coming to the Xbox. On the PC it allows games to access over 100 of the publisher's titles, including DLC, for a monthly subscription. This includes access to games on launch day as well as monthly rewards such as cosmetics, boosters, and in-game items.

The company also announced Rainbow Six Extraction is going to be available on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on launch day, January 20. Additionally, Rainbow Six Siege, which is already part of Xbox Game Pass, will be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass the same day, allowing Game Pass members to squad up for more Rainbow Six action.

Rainbow Six Extraction is releasing on January 20 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Ubisoft+, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

Source: Ubisoft (Ubisoft+ Coming to Xbox)

January 05, 2022

Permalink for 'EKWB Shows Off New Products at CES 2022 with More to Come'

21:29

EKWB Shows Off New Products at CES 2022 with More to Come

At CES 2022 EKWB has shown off some of the new liquid cooling equipment it has been working on and we can expect to arrive throughout this year. Importantly all of it will employ the company's Matrix7 design philosophy, which is to have dimensions and port placements fall on multiples of 7 mm. This standardization will help with designing clean loops so elaborate bends and combinations of fittings should not be necessary. Among the upcoming products that will use Matrix 7 will be the next generation of EK-Quantum products that include the current Velocity² CPU blocks and upcoming Vector² GPU blocks, Reflection² distribution plates, and EK-Quantum Surface radiators.

Also announced was the EK Fluid Gaming Battle, a small form factor build placed in a Lian-Li PC-011D Mini and cooled exclusively with the new EK-AIO Plus, handling both the CPU and GPU. For those that want to personalize their build, a new EK Fluid Gaming Configurator has been developed so you can customize your Fluid Gaming build. For those in Europe, this comes at a good time as this year Fluid Gaming PCs will finally be available there.

EK does do more than just cooling for computer enthusiasts and have new Pro GPU Water Blocks for the NVIDIA A6000 and A100 GPUs that combine a CNC-machined nickel-plated copper base with a stainless steel top for a robust block. The copper base also has a thicker design to be compatible with more reference design cards, but without sacrificing coolant flow. The company has also been working with automotive leaders and developed a next-generation SFF design for autonomous vehicles that can easily fit in the trunk or cabin. EK has also developed a prototype for a ruggedized compact PC that can survive the environment of a driving vehicle while still offering good performance and modularity.

For those interested in EK's liquid cooling offers, it is offering special deals during CES 2022, including 10% off any EK-AIO on Amazon with the code "CES2022." There is more to come as well, as EK will have its MSI Show and EK MSI Build on January 6 and then its Strictly Quantum show on January 8, where new premium products will be discussed. You can find the agenda and information on the deals through the last source link below, to the EK Expo homepage.

In separate news from CES 2022, EK has also upgraded the D5 and DDC pumps throughout its products. Now Xylem D5 G3 and DDC 4.2 pumps are used, upgraded from the G2 and 3.2 versions, respectively. For the D5 G3 pumps, this means a better PWM control driver featuring black cables to reduce the visible clutter and a move to a SATA power plug, instead of MOLEX 4-pin. For the DDC 4.2 pumps, they too now use black cables and SATA power instead of MOLEX, but also have a 32-bit communication interface. The 3.2 version of the pump used 8-bit communication so this move enables more accurate and efficient electronics.

Source: EKWB [1] (CES 2022 News), [2] (Additional CES 2022 News), [3] (Pump Upgrades), and [4] (CES 2022 EK Expo Homepage)

December 17, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of December 13'

11:43

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of December 13

It is that time again to go through the various press releases that have arrived in my inbox, and we have a few time sensitive ones to start with as both GOG and the Epic Games Store have begun their respective holiday sales. The GOG Winter Sale goes until January 5 while the Epic Games Store is running its Holiday 2021 until January 6, and you will want to watch both storefronts as they both are doing time-limited giveaways. The first from GOG has already expired but we can expect three more before it ends while Epic Games Store is giving away a game each day for a total of 15. The Epic Games Store has also brought back the Epic Coupon we have seen in several of its sales past, which will give a $10 discount on any full-game priced $14.99 or above. The store also now has a cart, a feature that has taken a surprisingly long time to implement, but in any case, the coupon will be applied to each qualifying title in your cart. That means if you checkout with two $15 games, the coupon will be applied to both and save you $20 off the $30 total. The coupon has no application limit during the sale.

Coming back to GOG for a moment, the storefront is now offering both Star Trek Armada and Star Trek Armada II. You can now run these twenty year old games on modern operating systems and further complete collection as it was not long ago that several other Star Trek games were added to GOG's catalog.

Source: GOG (Winter Sale) and Epic Games Store (Holiday 2021 Sale)

Those game stores are not the only to have started their holiday events as EKWB is also offering some discounts, special rewards with purchases, and having a giveaway. The rewards are based on how much you spend at their storefront, with such items as the EK-Loop Screwdriver Basic Set, EK-Leak Tester, and the recently announced EK-Loop D-RGB LED Magnetic Kit being available to pick from for a free gift, depending on the amount you spend. You can check out the source link below to see the complete list of these rewards, as well as how to enter the giveaway to get one of 40 EK AIOs or a complete custom EK-AIO build valued at over $3000.

Source: EKWB

2K has shared additional details on two classes for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands; the Spellshots and Clawbringers. The Spellshots are wizards with guns and I wonder a little bit how much further this description has to go. With this class you can eliminate your enemies with bullets or pacify them by turning them into livestock. Your gun will not just be a weapon either, but an extension of your magic, enhancing your spells and imbuing your weapon. The Clawbringers are members of a heroic order of warriors, wielding a spectral hammer and have fire-breathing wyverns as companions. With their Dragon Aura, you can buff your party to deal additional damage and more.

If those two classes are not enough, more information on three environments, three enemies, and some of the game's mechanics have also been shared. This includes the detail that there will be five elemental damage types: Fire; Frost; Lightning; Poison; and Dark Magic. By paying attention to the color of an enemy's health bar, you can determine their elemental weakness.

Tiny Tina's Wonderland is launching on March 25, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

The Last Spell from The Arcade Crew and Ishtar Games is definitely one of my favorite games I have reviewed this year and while it is still in Early Access on Steam, it has received a new, major update this week that applies a few changes and QoL improvements, but also adds some new and challenging enemies. The Blocker, for example, should prove interesting to deal with as it has a high Block stat but is also able to block your hero's line of sight. Meanwhile the Hunter is certainly an anti-hero enemy as it has a long distance, high damage attack that can ignore line-of-sight. Fortunately its attack must charge, giving you time to react. The Hopper and Twister are two more new enemies to deal with and I suggest you check the source link for their details.

The Wounds system has been altered for both the enemies and the heroes. For enemies this means their wounds have been designed to better match the enemy, rather than being the same across them all. An example that may seem a poor wound is to add 30% damage to the Boomer, but it should be noted this increases the damage done to other enemies when it explodes. For heroes, the wound thresholds are no longer fixed but will scale with maximum health. As for the QoL changes, you can now accelerate enemy turns and the night report to save on time. Poisoned enemies will now show how much damage they will take on their next turn, including if it will kill them.

There is still more to this update, such as the new Elite enemies that serve the role of mini boss and some tweaks to the camera, and we can expect more to arrive for the game in the future. The roadmap shows there is still the Perks Update and Maps Update to come, and more to arrive next year.

Source: The Arcade Crew (The Last Spell â Steam News)

This item actually arrived late on Friday last week, sharing The Game Awards trailer for Saints Row, the franchise reboot arriving August 23, 2022. In this trailer we get to see some of the opposition the Saints will have to face if they hope to rise amongst the gangs and reach the top. It also shows some new vehicles, helicopter tether thefts, combat including weapons and takedowns, story moments, and some of the customization possibilities the game will offer. With so many months to go, it will be interesting to see what more there is yet to be shared by Deep Silver, the game's publisher.

Curiously I am unable to embed the trailer, though it is not age-gated. In any case, here is a linke to it: Saints Row â Game Awards Gameplay Trailer.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver â Saints Row)

Devolver Digital has shared a few items this week, including the reveal of a crossover between Shadow Warrior 3 and Naraka: Bladepoint as the two titles are trading weapons. While Lo Wang is sending his Shuriken Spitter to Viper Ning accompanied by Hoji's Mask, the Raikou Katana is coming over to join his nerdy katana collection. This weapon exchange will occur in early 2022, which makes sense as Shadow Warrior 3 is expected to launch in the same time frame for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Naraka: Bladepoint is already available on Steam for those interested in its battle royale action.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital [1] â Shadow Warrior 3)

Also coming from Devolver Digital next year is Trek to Yomi, a cinematic action-adventure title set in feudal Japan. It is set to arrive on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 in Spring 2022 and this week a new gameplay trailer was released showing how patience and timing will be critical to its combat. To defeat your enemies, you will need to turn their strength against them, putting them off balance and ready for a fatal blow.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital [2] â Trek to Yomi)

Finishing off the Devolver Digital news, a new episode of Road to Weird West has been released, showing off the game's simulation systems. By leveraging these systems in creative ways, players will be able to find creative means to solve various puzzles and overcome challenges, even in ways the developers might not expect. It is a short video, but it will also not be long before the game comes out, as it will be releasing for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on January 11.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital [3] â Weird West)

If the old west is not quite your style, not long after that release will be the launch of Windjammers 2, as Dotemu has announced that title's release date as January 20. Along with that news is a new trailer showing off its roster of ten characters and ten locations you can demonstrate your skills at.

Windjammers 2 will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game Pass when it launches with backwards compatibility bringing it to Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu â Windjammers 2)

Cris Tales has received a massive and free update bringing new content to the time-skipping JRPG. The content includes the seventh playable character for the game as Ardi, a robot mechanic, will be able to join your party, lending her summoner abilities that can be enhanced with Crisbell's powers. She is first encountered in St. Clarity. A new dungeon has also been added with a mechanical theme to match Ardi, and with it new enemy encounters an puzzle solving mechanics. The Coliseum has returned as well, to challenge players with waves of enemies and can be accessed by speaking with the travelling merchant. If you complete the new content, you will find it unlocks a new cutscene in the late game and a new ending for the game overall. For those that have already completed Cris Tales, you can reload your latest save to experience the content for yourself.

If the game seems interesting to you, it will be on sale at 50% off on Steam starting December 23. The Nintendo Switch version will also be 50% off on that date, for North America, while the Xbox version will have a 35% discount.

Source: Modus Games [1] (Cris Tales)

Super Animal Royale, another title from Modus Games, has received an update this week as well, as its Season 2 has begun with Super Beavers joining in and the Bwoking Dead mode returning. In honor of the Super Beavers finally joining the fight, the season also features the Busy Busy Pass with various cosmetic items for hard workers, steampunk fans, and busy bees. Super Reindeer and Super Artic Fox are also entering the battle via the Research Lab. As for the Bwoking Dead mode, that has received as part of the CRISPRmas Event that goes until January 4 and will allow you to unlock eight limited-time cosemetic items. If you want to play with friends, cross-play parties are now possible as you can invite friends across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. You can even stream on Google Stadia now, in addition to GeForce Now, for those that want to play on a smartphone or in your browser via these streaming services.

Season 2 is expected to last about three months, and for this time you can unlock the Busy Busy Pass for 550 S.A.W tickets, but after it ends the pass will enter the Archive and cost 750 tickets. Once you own it though, you keep the pass permanently, so you can take your time to unlock everything it offers.

Source: Modus Games [2] (Super Animal Royale)

Not long ago The Queen & The Sea DLC was announced for Dead Cells and now we have its release date of January 6. It will not be long now before we will get the opportunity to fight through the new enemies and environments to reach the Queen, and ultimately bring an end to her reign. It will not be easy though as you will need to race up the Lighthouse with flames and guardians behind you before reaching the new boss. At least you will have a new, evolving pet, the Leghugger, to help you on your way as well as nine new weapons, such as the Hand Hook that will throw enemies into walls.

As this DLC ends a story arc, a special Road to the Sea bundle containing the base game and DLC trilogy is available at $32.99, but for those who already own the base game, you can get the three DLC for $11.99.

Source: Press Release (Motion Twins â Dead Cells)

Prime Matter has announced the start of Hunt Showdown's new Winter Solstive event that runs until January 5. During this even you will want to destroy the Solstice Tributes to earn points that will ultimately turn into rewards. The ultimate prize will be available only to those who earn 10,000 points, so you had better get to. The event has also brought with it the legendary Winfield 1873 Swift "Mountain King," Cavalry Saber "Corvus," Quad Derringer "Evergreen," as well as the legendary consumable "Spirit of Yule" fire bomb to earn and wield.

If that is not enough for you, The Lawless DLC is available now, bringing with it the legendary hunter "The Gunslinger" and Winfield M1873 Aperture "The Accomplice" and Scottfield Revolver "Felon's Six" legendary weapons.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter â Hunt Showdown)

Players of Dice Legacy can expect a treat next week as the game will be receiving it's a Storm is Coming free update on December 21 for PC. The Nintendo Switch version should receive the update "very soon." With this update comes a new weather system with 16 different conditions to challenge the player, from drought to heavy rainfall, bringing challenges and possibly improvements to your situation. The Forging a Realm made added last month is also getting a couple new scenarios in Bizarre Demands and Building a Following. The former offers a randomizer style experience with costs and requirements being random while the latter has the only way to earn new dice, is to satisfy your people.

Source: Press Release (Ravenscourt â Dice Legacy)

Another press release that arrived late last Friday was from Rebellion as Sniper Elite 5 has been announced as arriving next year on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. With this, elite marksman Karl Fairburne will enter 1944 France to destroy Operation Kraken. If not stopped, this Nazi project will allow them to win the war before the Allies can even enter Europe, making Karl's success absolutely critical.

The new maps for the game will make it the largest and most immersive for the series' history and a new traversal system opens up the sandbox options for how you wish to eliminate your targets. It will also feature improved gunplay physics and various customization options to upgrade your weapon, such as changing scopes, barrels, and stocks to arrive at the best design for your style. You will also be able to select the ammo most appropriate for your target, from armor-piercing to non-lethal, if that is what you wish.

Techland had some announcements this week for both Dying Light and Dying Light 2. For the already available title, its new Winter events have been revealed; HyperMode with reduced fall damage and the Sugar Crane event, challenging players to throw zombies off roofs. The first phase of these events ends on December 23 with Phase 2 launching right after. Also, a new update for its Hellraid mode has been released, challenging players to face the powerful Lord Asmorod and his skeleton minions. Defeating him will grant you the Dark Wand, allowing you to wield freezing magic.

As for Dying Light 2, its system requirements have been revealed and are not too unreasonable, at least until you turn on ray tracing.

Â	1080p30 - Low Quality	1080p60 - High Quality	1080p30 - Low Ray Tracing	1080p60 - High Ray Tracing
CPU (AMD)	Ryzen 3 2300X	Ryzen 5 3600X	Ryzen 5 3600X	Ryzen 7 3700X
CPU (Intel)	Core i3-9100K	Core i5-8600K	Core i5-8600K	Core i5-8600K
GPU (AMD)	RX 560	RX Vega 56	None Listed	None Listed
GPU (NVIDIA)	GTX 1050 Ti	RTX 2060	RTX 2070	RTX 3080
RAM	8 GB	16 GB	16 GB	16 GB
OS	Windows 7	Windows 10	Windows 10	Windows 10
Storage	60 GB	60 GB	60 GB	60 GB

If that is not enough Dying Light 2 for you, Techland and Platige Image have shared a behind the scenes video for the cinematic trailer that was shared last week as part of The Game Awards. This video features commentary from the executive producer, director, and art director for the trailer that shows the final moments of a Nightrunner.

Source: Press Releases (Techland â Dying Light 1 and Dying Light 2)

THQ Nordic has announced Expeditions: Rome will have a playable demo on Steam starting today, allowing you the opportunity to lead your men against Greece, starting with the conquering of Lesbos, for about four hours of gameplay. If that is not enough, from today through Monday the publisher is holding a Streamer Weekend as a selected group of streamers have been given special access to the game's first act, allowing them to complete the Greece campaign. These streamers will also be using the new Expeditions: Rome Twitch extension, created by a partnership with Muxy Inc. as the most ambitious and expansion Twitch extension yet for any game. Viewers will be able to direct AI targets, heal or knock-down enemy and streamer combatants, start the battlefield on fir, and more.

Expeditions: Rome is to launch on January 20 at a suggest price of $44.99.

Source: THQ Nordic (Expeditions: Rome)

Ubisoft has shared a couple interesting things this week, starting with some Assassin's Creed news as Assassin's Creed Valhalla will have its Dawn of Ragnarok DLC release on March 10, 2022. With this, Eivor will begin a new adventure as Odin, as he enters Svartalfheim, the realm of the dwarfs. Set after the events of the Asgard and Jotunheim arcs, this expansion will actually include more content than some of the previous games in the series. The All-Father is on a question to rescue his son Baldr, who has been captured by Sutr and is being held in the dwarven realm that is currently occupied by various enemies, including some with the ability to revive their fallen comrades. Fortunately you will have help as you find dwarves that have managed to hide in shelters. Finding the Hugr-Rip will also help as this artifact will grant Odin new powers, such as the ability to disguise himself as the fiery Muspel enemies he would otherwise need to fight.

If you would rather not wait until March for some new Assassin's Creed action, a special crossover has begun between this latest entry in the series and its predecessor, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. In the prior game, you can take on the new Those Who Are Treasured mission and travel to the island of Korfu, to contemplate what to do with the power of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus the playable character acquired at the end of the game story. In Valhalla the mission A Fated Encounter will bring Eivor to the Isle of Skye and there cross blades with Kassandra of Odyssey.

The Odyssey mission will be available after finishing the game's Chapter 1, but it is recommended you finish the game's story arcs first, to avoid spoilers. Valhalla's A Fated Encounter will be available after you finish A Wise Friend, during which you assist Valka establish herself in Ravensthorpe.

Source: Ubisoft [1] (Assassin's Creed Valhalla)

Also announced by Ubisoft is that development has begun on a Splinter Cell remake. Utilizing the Snowdrop engine, Ubisoft Toronto is going to rebuild the game that started the series, bringing the latest in visuals and gameplay to the series that is so well known for dynamic lighting and shadows. If you follow the source link below, you will see three developers answer various questions about this new project, including what they feel are the most important aspects of the original title to be updated and those to preserve.

Source: Ubisoft [2] (Splinter Cell Remake)

December 10, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of December 6'

11:16

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of December 6

This first complete week of December has reached its end, and so it is also time to go through some of the video game news for the week, and a few items from last week that arrived in my inbox after publishing last week's collection.

At The Game Awards, 2K and Gearbox Software shared a new trailer for Tiny Tina's Wonderland, the upcoming looter shooter releasing on March 25 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately at the time I am writing this I do not see the video on YouTube, but it apparently shares a peek at the game's story, which is being told by Tiny Tina from the Borderlands series as she leads a Bunkers & Badasses adventure, so 'unpredictable' is certainly going to be one word to describe it. She places the player in a fantastical world filled with monsters and loot-filled dungeons, and sets you the purpose of defeating the Dragon Lord with this skeleton army. If you follow the source like, you can also see additional information on the Dragon Lord as well as the characters Valentine, Frette, and Torgue.

Source: 2K (Tiny Tina's Wonderland)

EA has announced GRID Legends will be launching on February 25, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. With this release comes the largest variety of game modes including a Career mode with over 250 events and Driven to Glory, the game's story mode, in addition to Drift and Elimination. With the new Race Creator, you can also put together your own matchups featuring multiple vehicle types to see which is truly best for each race in different weather conditions and time of day. You will even be able to add ramps and boost gates if you wish. At launch there will be over 100 vehicles to get behind the wheel of to race on classic tracks and in iconic cities.

Those who pre-order GRID Legends will receive the Seneca and Ravenwest Double Pack, which adds four cars for Career events: the Aston Martin Vantage GT4; Porsche 962C; Ginetta G55 GT4; and Koenigsegg Jesko. The pack also includes Ravenwest-focused Career events and team icons, liveries, and banners for Seneca and Ravenwest.

Source: EA (GRID Legends)

As part of The Game Awards, Square Enix shared a new trailer for Babylon's Fall, an upcoming game from PlatinumGames set to release on March 3 for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. As the trailer depicts, in the game you will play as a warrior created by the Gideon Coffins, the source of your power that will make you and fellow Sentinels strong enough to topple the Tower of Babylon. Already able to wield two weapons, the Coffins allow for combinations of four weapons at once, producing many variations to the strategies you can employ to defeat your enemies. You can also play in parties of up to four players if you wish, but the game can be enjoyed in solo as well. Post launch it will receive new game modes, story content, and weapon types as part of free updates to grow the experience.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix [1] – Babylon's Fall)

December 16 is a day many may come to enjoy as during The Game Awards, Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is coming to PC, specifically the Epic Games Store, then. As the name suggests this is a version of Final Fantasy VII Remake that released earlier this year to the PlayStation 5 and will include all of the previously released DLC, but will also feature some upgrades including graphical improvements. It will support 4K and HDR, and if your system is up for it the game can run at 120 FPS. There is also a photo mode and additional content, such as some special armor, accessories, summon materia, and the FF7R Episode INTERmission-exclusive weapon, the Cacstar.

As for the hardware you need to run the game, the minimum specification allows you to use a GPU as old as the GeForce GTX 780 or Radeon RX 480 to play at 1920x1080. The recommended specifications bump that requirement up to the GTX 1080 and RX 5700 though, but also with a resolution of 2560x1440. The CPU requirements, even at the recommended level are not that great with the Core i7 3770 for Intel and Ryzen 3 3100 for AMD. Either way though, you will need at least 100 GB of storage space, Windows 10 2004 or newer, and either 8 GB of RAM for the minimum specification, or 12 GB according to the recommended specs.

Source: Square Enix [2] (Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade)

Also announced by Square Enix during The Game Awards was Forspoken's release date of May 24, 2022 with its newest trailer. In this Luminous Productions title you play as Frey Holland who has found herself transported to the mysterious world of Athia that is being devastated by the Break, a corruption that spreads as a miasma over the land. Somehow Frey survived contacted with it, which may prove to be the single hope for the surviving citizens.

In the trailer you get to see some of these survivors as well as the different environments and abilities Frey will have at her disposal. These abilities enable magic parkour across the landscape and a way to engage with the beasts she will encounter, such as the Breakzombies and Jabberwock. The trailer also introduces Tanta Prav, a maddened, evil sorceress who is voiced by Pollyanna McIntosh.

In addition to the release date and trailer, the details of the Digital Deluxe Edition have also been shared. It will include the Mini Artbook and Mini Soundtrack digital downloads as well as the Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust prequel story DLC. If you purchase it for the PlayStation 5 you will also receive the Rare Resource Kit. Those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition will receive the Elite Cloak, Spectra Combo Necklace, and Overclock Nails on PC while PlayStation 5 players will get the No Limits Cloak, Symbol Combo Necklace, Trigger Happy Nails, and Crafting Starter kit.

Source: Square Enix [2] (Forspoken)

Techland has shared a couple things this week, starting with a new episode of Dying 2 Know More with Jonah Scott as its special guest. Scott is the voice actor for the game's main character, Aiden Caldwell and shares some details about his work to bring the character to life. You can check out the episode at this link: Dying 2 Know More - Interview With Jonah Scott, Voice Of Aiden Caldwell.

The other item shared by the developer was a cinematic trailer for the game, revealed during The Game Awards that shows what some of the City's citizens have to do in their attempts to survive. There is more to staying human than just surviving and avoiding the infected.

Along with the trailer, the Reload Pack was announced as an exclusive pre-order bonus that was created in cooperation with Rosario Dawson, who plays Lawan in the game. The pack includes a crossbow skin and outfit for Lawan, who is not a playable character, but also a backpack skin and paraglider skin for both her and Aiden.

Also, Techland is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this month, so it has made Call of Juarez: Gunslinger free on Steam until December 14. Dying Light is also having a free weekend on Steam currently, allowing you to try the game until December 13, and if you like it the Platinum Edition is discounted to 70% off until December 14.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2)

THQ Nordic has a few announcements, and going in alphabetical order we start with Expeditions: Rome receiving its release date of January 20, 2022. Starting that day you can join the Roman legion as a Legatus and march through Greece, Egypt, and Gaul, with success building your power and influence back in Rome. This will make your decisions very important, for how they will impact your life and those of your companions. The game's campaign should last for over 50 hours as you engage in turn-based battles, level up your character as well as your companions, take care of your legion, and naturally explore, loot, and craft.

Expeditions: Rome will come to PC with a suggested price of $44.99 on January 20, 2022.

Source: THQ Nordic [1] (Expeditions: Rome)

SpellForce 3 has received its Reforced upgrade this week, a free update that completely overhauls the title with various improvements and fixes alongside new game modes and features. This includes an improved campaign experience with reworked faction designs, updated skilltrees, an AI balance overhaul, a UI that has been visually and functionally enhanced, and full support for gamepad. There is also a new Bitter Canyon skirmish map, the Journey Mode that is similar to the original SpellForce's Free Game mode that can be played in co-op and PvP and offers over 20 hours of content. The Arena Mode will give you a fresh character and endless waves of monsters, challenging you to climb the leaderboard. If that is not enough, improved mod support means we can see community created maps for the Journey and Arena game modes in the future as well.

While the Reforced update is out now on PC, SpellForce 3 Reforced will arrive on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on March 8, 2022 at a price of $39.99. Both expansions, Soul Harvest and Fallen God, will also be available on that day priced at $19.99, each. These expansions both feature 30+ hour campaigns in addition to new units and more. If you want it all, SpellForce 3 Reforced Complete Edition will be priced at $59.99.

Source: THQ Nordic [2] (SpellForce 3 Reforced)

Though this is the last bit of news from THQ Nordic I have, it actually released last week, just after I posted the news collection. Titan Quest Anniversary Edition has received another expansion, bringing the total to four as players get to return to the Far East for four acts where you will encounter the Jade Emperor, the Ten Suns, and the Dragon King of the Four Seas. With over 30 new types of enemies and bosses to defeat, you will need the new mastery the expansion offers you, the powers of Neidan masters, blessings from demigods, and the will of ancient emperors to succeed the Eternal Embers.

Titan Quest: Eternal Embers is already available and priced at $19.99.

Source: THQ Nordic [3] (Titan Quest: Eternal Embers)

Anno 1800 from Ubisoft will be starting its Season 4 in 2022, but new content is arriving on December 14 for free. This new content is the Eden Burning game mode that will challenge players to clean up following polluting invaders as well constructing a sustainable energy source with only minimal damage to the ecosystem of a remote island. The Eden Burning scenario was created for the 2021 Green Game Jam and won the UNEP Choice Award, and is soon going to be part of the game. More scenarios will be arriving during Season 4 as at least one will be included with its three DLC.

Along with the addition of the scenario to the game on December 14, the Plant A Tree DLC will also launch and be priced at $2.99 to add an ornamental tree to your in-game cities. Each DLC sale will also contribute at least $1 to Ecologi, a social enterprise that funds reforestation efforts and more. The DLC will be available for purchase until March 31, 2022, after which it will return later in the year as a free item.

Speaking of free items, Ubisoft has made Anno 1404 History Edition free on PC until December 14 as part of the company's 35^th anniversary celebration.

Source: Ubisoft [1] (Anno 1800)

For Honor's Year 5 Season 4 has begun this week with its Frostwind Celebrations event, a limited time event that includes a free Event Pass. This pass contains a paired emote, Battle Outfit, ornament, and effect while the event adds new weapons to loot. There is also a new Battle Pass as part of the Frozen Shores season starting that contains premium content, such as executions and effects in addition to Battle Outfits and ornaments. You will also find some changes to the River Fort, Gauntlet, and Harbor maps. The Shinobi updates that went through Season 3's Testing Grounds are live in the game now as well, with the next Testing Grounds starting December 30, with a target of changes to the Dominion game made and Conqueror Hero. The launch trailer is behind YouTube's age-gate, so you will have to log in to watch it here: For Honor: Year 5 Season 4 - Frozen Shores Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

On January 27, Title Update 2 will be released and add a Hero to the roster while also returning some fan-favorite events such as The Covenant Games and Black Prior's Riposte.

Source: Ubisoft [2] (For Honor)

As for some non-gaming news, EKWB is launching new products for those who enjoy and want more RGB in their builds. The EK-Loop D-RGB LED Magnetic strips are exactly what the name suggests, strips of RGB LEDs that can be placed throughout your case to bring the lighting and effects where you want them. The Magnetic Strip is a 600 mm long D-RGB LED strip while the Magnetic Kit contains four 400 mm strips that can be daisy-chained together. The EK-Loop D-RGB LED Edge Diffused Strip offers a different look at 500 mm long with side-illumination going through a diffuser to provide a different effect than the bare LEDs of the other offerings. It is not magnetic though, but instead attaches by double-sided tape.

All three of these offerings connect by a standard 3 pin 5 V connector with the 600 mm strip containing 33 separately controllable LEDs and the four 400 mm strips in the Magnetic Kit holding 21 LEDs. All three are also made in China and in stock now at the EK Webstore. The EK-Loop D-RGB LED Magnetic Strip (600 mm) is priced at $15.99, the EK-Loop D-RGB LED Magnetic Kit (four 400 mm strips) is $52.99, and the EK-Loop D-RGB LED Diffused Strip (500 mm) is $18.99.

Source: EKWB

December 03, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 29'

8:30

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 29

This week has gone by pretty quickly for me, but there is still plenty of news to cover and first up is some from 1047 Games as Splitgate has received its Winter Update. With this the free-to-play, portaling FPS has had three of its maps made over for the season; Stadium, Abyss, and Pantheon. The main menu has also received a wintery theme and there are new challenges to attempt as well, with community-created rewards. A #TeamSeas skin has also been made available for purchase with all of the procedures going towards that project that seeks to remove some 30 million pounds of waste from the ocean by the end of the year. Additionally, the Season 0 battle pass has been extended, so if there is anything left in it you were hoping to get, you have until early next year to try for it.

Source: 1047 Games (Splitgate)

Dotemu and Triskell Interactive have shared a behind-the-scenes video this week, giving a look into how the soundtrack for Pharaoh: A New Era is being recreated. Just as the game is a remake of a classic title, its soundtrack too is a recreation of the original, but with new arrangements including the use of traditional instruments from ancient Egypt. To ensure the music was accurate both to the original and the culture of its setting, Louis Godart, the game's composer, connected with Keith Zizza, the composer of the original 1999 release, and worked with consultants.

Pharaoh: A New Era is set to release in 2022 with its improved mechanics, UI, and support for 4K. It will also include the original 2000 expansion, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile, so the final result will offer over 100 hours of gameplay with 53 missions, a map and mission editor, along with a Free Build mode.

Source: Dotemu (Pharaoh: A New Era)

Scarf from HandyGames has received its release date of December 23, and it will even enjoy a launch discount of 10%. In the game you will get to explore beautiful worlds as you try to uncover the truth something or someone has hidden. This will involve solving complex puzzles and overcoming obstacles with the help of your polymorphic scarf.

Source: HandyGames (Scarf)

Koch Media and Weird Beluga Studio have announced Clid the Snail, the studio's debut indie game, is launching on PC on December 15. Developed with the support of the PlayStation Talents program, the game already came to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 earlier this year but with PC gamers being so varied, the studio wanted to make sure it arrived on this platform as well. It is a dark, sci-fi game where you take control of Clid, the grumpy humanoid snail that was exiled but joins up with a gang of outcasts to eradicate the slug plague. It features twin-stick gameplay and will arrive on Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Humble, and GeForce Now at an MSRP of $19.99.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Clid the Snail)

Dead Cells has had its next DLC announced and The Queen & The Sea will be releasing early next year. It promises to end the route that began with its two predecessors, The Bad Seed and Fatal Falls, and is to be the most generous content update for the game yet. The teaser below gives a peek at two new biomes, but importantly one of them is not the normal Dead Cells level, and if you are able to survive it, there will be a new epic ending. Of course, first you will need to defeat the Queen, the new, alternative final boss.

The Queen & The Sea will be priced at $4.99 when it releases.

Also, Motion Twin is celebrating turning 20 years old by sharing the awesome news that Dead Cells has sold over 6 million copies across the globe.

Source: Press Release (Motion Twin – Dead Cells)

Techland has shared quite a bit this week, including some 15 minutes of gameplay for Dying Light 2. This was released as part of its Dying 2 Know series of videos to give players insight on the upcoming game. In it you witness Aiden, the main character, on a quest to learn more about his missing sister, which takes place part way through its narrative arc. For reference, the game is set some 22 years after the events of Dying Light, and will apparently also feature double the number of parkour moves.

The Dying Light 2 and Techland news does not end with the video though, as it was also revealed the game has gone gold. This means it is ready for publication and discs can start to be manufactured. The release date is still February 4 though, and the developers will be taking advantage of that time to continue applying optimizations, polish, tweaks, and upgrades based on feedback from the community as well as those who got some hands-on time in preview sessions. When the game releases, it will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch via its Cloud Version.

Also, Techland has turned 30 and to celebrate that, the company has some in-game rewards you can unlock via Techland.gg but also its classic Crime Cities game is free to keep over at GOG, where you can find a sale on Techland titles until December 9.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly for the video-game specific news, THQ Nordic has revealed the release date for Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning – Fatesworn as December 14. The original game released almost ten years ago, but in just weeks its remake will continue the Fateless One's journey as a new threat is rising in Mithros. There Telogrus, the God of Chaos has awakened and is gathering followers.

In addition to its new storyline, environment, quests, and gear, the expansion will also place Chaos Realm dungeons across Amalur and raise the level cap to 50. The expansion itself will be priced at $19.99 while a Fate Edition containing both the base game and this expansion will be at $54.99.

Source: THQ Nordic (Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning – Fatesworn)

Some time ago it was announced that NVIDIA intended to acquire Arm Ltd., the company behind the designs used in so many devices today, and as any major merger or acquisition does, it prompted various regulatory bodies to investigate and determine if there was grounds to block it. This week the Federal Trade Commission announced it is suing to block the purchase, citing that it will enable NVIDIA to stifle competition and innovation, and potentially lead to higher prices and less choice as many current competitors to NVIDIA rely on Arm designs. The FTC's press release specifically identified three markets NVIDIA is currently competing in with Arm-based products: high-level advanced driver assistance systems; DPU SmartNICs for improving security and efficiency in datacenters; and Arm-based CPUs for cloud computing providers. In addition to the concern of NVIDIA having control over the technology, the complaint also alleges it could give the company access to potentially sensitive information of Arm licensees that are rivals of NVIDIAs. The complaint describes Arm as being more like a neutral partner to several companies, rather than a rival, but if this acquisition goes through, that will change and could cost Arm and its ecosystem the trust it has built over the years.

The vote to issue the complaint was 4-0 and the administrative trial is scheduled for August 9, 2022.

Source: FTX (Suing to Stop NVIDIA Acquisition of Arm

Finishing this item off, the Q3 2021 earnings have been shared for the CD Projekt Group, and it includes various pieces of information, such as the next-gen versions of both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are on track for their Q1 and Q2 2022 release targets. It also shows the CD Projekt Group itself saw net profitability, but this was thanks to CD Projekt Red as GOG, which is owned by the group, actually lost money during the quarter. Already certain measures have been taken to improve its situation, but the decision has also been made to have it focus on its core business activity, "offering a handpicked selection of games with its unique DRM-free philosophy." As part of this, GOG's operations are going to be reorganized some, such as with developers who had been working on online features mainly used by CD Projekt Red being moved to the studio. Also it is leaving the GWENT consortium, so while it will not benefit from the revenues of that project, it will also not bear the associated costs either.

It will be interesting to see what comes from the re-focusing of GOG on its core business, as the storefront has definitely expanded in some interesting ways, such as with its GOG Galaxy 2.0 client that is able to connect with other clients to offer a unified library. Though useful, some see it as being in disagreement with the DRM-free philosophy. Time will tell what happens and how successful it will be.

Source: CD Projekt [1] (Q3 2021 Results PDF) and [2] (Q3 2021 Earnings Call Transcript)

November 26, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 22'

8:57

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 22

It is the end of the week again, but this one is a bit different as it is Thanksgiving week, which also means Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Already a host of physical and digital items are discounted, so hopefully something you have been looking for has been discounted. Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store all have their own respective sales going on, and their own dates. Steam's Autumn Sale is going until December 1 while GOG's Black Friday sale ends on November 29 and Epic Games Store is going until November 30.

On top of those store-wide sales, I also got press releases from Square Enix, Stardock, and Ubisoft about the discounts for their products. For Square Enix this includes the relatively new Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy being 35% until December 1. Marvel's Avengers and Outriders are also discounted pretty well, at 60% and 50% respectively. For Stardock we have Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, Galactic Civilizations III, Star Control: Origins, and Offworld Trading Company all discounted at their store and on Steam, and you can find the company's desktop enhancement software on sale as well, such as Start10 for modifying the Windows Start Menu. For Ubisoft, it specifically has discounts for Riders Republic at up to 33% off. I should mention the Ubisoft and Square Enix discounts are not limited to the PC versions, if you prefer a different platform.

Source: Steam Autumn Sale, GOG, Epic Games Store Black Friday 2021, Square Enix Deals, Stardock Games, Stardock Software, and Ubisoft Black Friday Sale

Plenty of hardware is on sale this weekend as well, and being physical items supplies may run out quickly. Both 1Up Keyboards and NovelKeys are starting their sales today and running them until Monday, so if you are interested in building a custom keyboard like the 1UP60HSE I put together (and am using right now) or working from a kit like the NK65 Entry Edition I use for work, you can check out both stores. 1Up Keyboards will also be offering a limited drop of KBDFans Tofu60 Acrylic Frosted Case Keyboard kits starting at 1 PM EST, for those interested.

If you are happy with your keyboard but may want different cooling for your computer, EKWB is also offering Black Friday deals, with up to 25% off the company's AIO offerings, in addition to clearance sales on other items, and a flat 10% off everything in the company's store.

Lastly for the sales news I have, many Acer products are being discounted, including laptops of different targets and monitors. Two versions of the Nitro 5 gaming laptop are discounted by $184 and $250 at Amazon along with versions of the Spin 5, Swift 5 and 3, and even the ConceptD 3 Ezel. That ConceptD is a convertible laptop with an Intel Core i7-10750H and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q to power its 14 in 1920x1080 display and has been discounted by over six hundred dollars to the price of $869.99. As for the monitors, there are 24.5 inch, 27 inch, and 32 inch displays discounted by as much as $180 from the Predator and Nitro lines.

Source: 1Up Keyboards, NovelKeys, EKWB, and Acer Press Release

Coming to video game news, Dear Villagers released the penultimate update Early Access for Revita, the twin-stick shooter, roguelite from lone developer BenStar. Titled Old Friends, this update adds a new area, five new starting guns, relics, celestial weapons, NPCs, and naturally new enemies, modifiers, and more. You can check out the changes in the trailer below, as the player climbs the clock tower setting of the game, facing challenges in the procedurally generated rooms and boss fights.

Source: Press Release (Dear Villagers – Revita)

HandyGames has revealed the final release date for One Hand Clapping is December 14. The 2D platformer that has you solve puzzles by singing or humming into a microphone will be arriving on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch as well as the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Samsung Galaxy Store. In its current state, the game has already won many awards for its creativity and in a few weeks you will be able to experience it yourself, on almost any current platform you wish.

Source: HandyGames (One Hand Clapping)

Dice Legacy from Koch Media's Ravens Court label and developer DESTINYbit has received a new game mode as part of a free update on PC. The update for the Nintendo Switch version should arrive soon. With the Forging a Realm mode, you will find a rather experience to the normal game mode, which has been renamed Escaping Fate, as the people of your young kingdom do not trust you just yet. The only way to earn this trust is to succeed at their demands that grow increasingly difficult. It is more economically centered and the map will be generated with different parameters specifically for the mode. Do not worry if this sounds too challenging, as there will be five difficulty levels, but also it only unlocks after you get through your first winter, but those who have already completed the game will find the mode unlocked immediately.

Source: Koch Media (Dice Legacy)

Update 26 for Dead Cells has arrived, and it has been named the Everyone is Here update as it adds weapons from a host of other games. By completing challenges listed in a book given at the start of the game, you can gain the Pure Nail of Hollow Knight, the Gun & Sword of Hyper Light Drifter, and even Pollo Power from Guacamelee!, which turns you into a chicken for a few seconds, and more, including outfits. You can follow the source link below to read the patch notes or check out the trailer for a taste of what has arrived. The update also brings balancing changes, such as dropping a bomb while rolling not breaking invisibility, and a new log system for a quality of life improvement that will help track down bugs.

Source: Motion Twin and Evil Empire (Dead Cells Patch Notes)

Techland has shared some news as well, as a new episode of Dying 2 Know More Released, sharing an interview for the upcoming game's world director, Thomas Gerbaud, to give a look into the society that has formed in the 15 years since the old one fell apart. This includes some more details concerning the Peacekeepers and their dedication to law, order, and hierarchy, as well as how even the small details of the environment provide insight into the world. You even get to learn about the analog version of a dating app created by one of The City's inhabitants.

If that video, embedded below, is not enough, do not worry as the fifth episode of Dying 2 Know will arrive on December 2 at 9 PM CET or 12 PM PT on the company's Twitch channel. This will include a 15 minute gameplay video along with details about quests and obstacles the main character, Aiden Caldwell, will encounter. Jonah Scott, the voice of Aiden, as well as the streamer Leah will be hosting this episode. I also neglected to mention above that Dying Light Platinum Edition is on sale at just $19.99 on Steam until December 1. This includes the base game and most of its DLC, so even though a lot of in-game time has passed between the two titles, this could still be a very nice way to introduce yourself to some of what you can expect come February 4, 2022. Dying Light 2 will release on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch via its Cloud Edition on that day.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Rounding off the video game news is a new gameplay trailer for THQ Nordic's This Is the President, which launches on December 6. In the trailer you can see some of the different options that will be available to you for tackling poor approval ratings before passage of the 28^th Amendment, protecting you from the various crimes you have committed. It also shows some of the methods you can use to manage the members of your team, who might not approve of all your actions all the time. Apparently not everyone likes the idea of sending a hamster into space.

Source: THQ Nordic (This Is the President)

Lastly, AMD via its GPUOpen initiative has announced FidelityFX Super Resolution, FSR, will soon be easier for developers to integrate and configure into Unreal Engine 4 games thanks to a new plugin. For those who may not remember, FSR is AMD's open-source, shader-based upscaling technology that combines a spatial upscaler with Robust Contrast Adaptive Sharpening to increase performance with less impact on image quality than just lowering the output resolution. With the plugin, developers can set the different percentages to be used at the technologies four quality settings as well as controlling if it should use FP16 for improvement performance, and if the denoising feature should be enabled. It can also be configured to work with UE4's Temporal Anti-Aliasing with Upsampling, TAAU, algorithm by disabling its own upscaler, or relegating it to a secondary upscaler. Though the open source nature of FSR along with its design already made it easy to implement for many developers, this should make it still easier for those working with Unreal Engine 4.27.1 or newer.

Source: AMD (GPUOpen)

November 19, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 15, 2021'

11:43

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 15, 2021

Once again we have reached the end of the week and so it is time to go through the different press releases that have arrived, starting with one from Dear Villagers. The publisher along with developer Retro Forge Games have shared a new video of commented gameplay for Souldiers. The game combines metroidvania exploration with soulslike design and precision platforming, all presented with a pixelart style as the player fights to free Terragaya as a scout, caster, or archer. This world exists between life and death and contains treasures, secrets, and bosses you will need to defeat in order to succeed.

Souldiers is targeting a Spring 2022 release on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Dear Villagers (Souldiers)

Next we have some news from Dotemu for Windjammers 2 with two characters added to its rosters as well as the reveal it will be coming to Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass on both PC and Xbox. This includes cross platform play between Xbox, Game Pass PC, and Steam users. The game is also coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia. There will be crossgen play between the two PlayStation consoles.

The two new characters are Sammy Ho, a Chinese gardener and still developing star athlete, and Jordi Costa, a returning contender. For Sammy, his mid-range agility and powerful throws will make him dangerous to go against while Jordia has his court-crossing slides and mighty strength for his opponents to deal with. You can watch them both in action in the new trailer below.

Source: Dotemu (Windjammers 2)

Milestone and Feld Entertainment have announced Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5, or more simply Supercross 5, is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 and March 17, 2022. This next entry in the series will feature a new Career Mode to be more realistic and immersive than before, with players being able to start as amateurs in the 250SX Future Class. The Rider Shape System will also be introduced as part of the Career Mode, so that your performance will be impacted by falls and injuries. To recover your performance more quickly, training and the completion of certain tasks will be necessary. Another addition will be that of 2-stroke bikes, which will be available in every game mode. The Track Editor is returning, but with a new feature in the form of the Rhythm Section Editor, making it possible for players to mix and match modules to create complex track sections to share with the community.

Source: Press Release (Milestone – Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5)

Serenity Forge and studio Way Down Deep have announced a new game, Land of Screens, that will be launching on December 25 for PC and Nintendo Switch. The title follows Holland, who was previously seen in Half Past Fate and Date Night Bowling as she tries to avoid every screen she can. This follows her breakup with her boyfriend of five years, which is now trending on social media. Through the point-and-click adventure, you will get to take her on the myriad adventures that await outside of social media. The trick is helping her to find these activities and even getting her friends interested in doing them too.

Source: Press Release (Serenity Forge – Land of Screens)

Though it has happened before, it is still pretty rare for a game's release date to move up, but that is exactly what is happening with Sifu from Slocap. It has been moved up a full two weeks and will be launching on February 8, 2022 for PC and the PlayStation consoles. Along with this announcement, two new gameplay trailers have been shared, which can be found on the developer's YouTube channel, linked to below. One gives an overview of the game's combat system, which will be important to watch as combat is central to the gameplay in which you seek revenge for your family's murder by applying your martial arts skills. If you fail and are killed, you will be resurrected to fight again, but aged. This will impact your fighting capabilities, but at the same time this is when you can spend your experience to improve your skills or become tougher. No matter your character's age though, you can still complete the game.

Source: Press Release (Slocap – Sifu) and Slocap YouTube Channel

Square Enix has released an update for Outriders dubbed New Horizon that makes some significant changes to the experience. These changes include the removal of times from Expeditions, which was done because of how it biased character builds. The initial thinking was to reward players based on how quickly they can complete this end-game content, but to earn better rewards by faster times, players geared for maximum damage, instead of going with whichever playstyle the player prefers. Now completion earns you the same rewards, no matter how long it takes you, though the rewards have also been rebalanced, so those designed to take longer will feel appropriately rewarding.

Four new Expeditions have been added to the game as part of this free update as well, with the first, Molten Depths, being available immediately while the other three are gated behind Challenge Tiers 4, 8, and 12. Acquiring legendary gear has been tweaked too, to hopefully make it more fun and less of a grind, including the ability to purchase a mystery legendary from Tiago's shop. If you find a piece of legendary gear that is perfect for your combat style but not aesthetic preferences, the new transmogrification system should have you covered as you can apply the appearance and sounds of one piece of gear to another of the same type, and the process is free and can be done from the menu.

There are some more changes that have arrived with this update, and you can find out more at the source link below.

Source: Square Enix (Outriders)

Turning to THQ Nordic, and its parent company Embracer Group shortly, Elex II a new trailer has been released for Elex II featuring the different factions we can expect in the upcoming title. The Berserkers, Outlaws, Albs, Clerics, and Morkons each offer their own advantages and disadvantages through unique weapons and skills, and you will have to decide which to join in an effort to protect Magalan from the coming Skyands.

The Berserkers are magicians that have applied their power over Elex to turn the desert of Tavar into a lush and green land, and have claimed the former stronghold of the Outlaws. Scattered across the world, some of the Outlaws joined the Berserkers when they claimed Tavar, while others went to Ateris, and some returned to a life of crime. The Albs have returned from the first game and are a bit different this time, having learned from Jax's defeat of the Hybrid. Seeing the value of emotion, they have reduced their use of Elex, but remain quite powerful in combat. The Clerics build combat robots by applying their engineering and crafting skills, and suffered significant losses from their war with the Albs, losing their home in Ignadon on top of the many people killed. Lastly there are the Morkons, a new faction for the game, made up of survivors from the meteor impact who went underground but have returned to the surface, to spread their religion across Magalan, and remove anything that stands against them.

As for the Embracer Group news, as part of its Q2 2021 interim report, the company shared it is delaying a number of releases initially scheduled for fiscal year 2021/2022 to FY 2022/2023. Among these titles is the new Saints Row title and an announced AAA title.

Source: THQ Nordic (Elex II) and Embracer Group (Saints Row Delay)

This week Ubisoft shared its post-launch free content roadmap for Rainbow Six Extraction, which is not releasing until January 20, 2022. Among this content is the Maelstrom Protocol that will be a weekly challenge mode with tiered ranks targeting the most skilled players. They will need to make it through nine subzones that grow progressively more challenging with tougher enemies and resources depleting more quickly, as well as a shortening timer. Depending on how well you do, you will be rewarded with special headgear and REACT credits.

Crisis Events will be limited-time, game-changing events that bring themed content to the game and the first will be Spillover, as players will be tasked with destroying the mass colonies of an evolved version of the Sprawl hordes. Crisis Event will reward exclusive REACT Tech as well as new cosmetics and lore. Assignments will be weekly modes that apply gameplay modifiers, such as Veteran Mode for removing the HUD, reducing ammo, and enabling friendly fire.

Rainbow Six Extraction is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Ubisoft+, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna on January 20, 2022.

Source: Ubisoft (Rainbow 6 Extraction)

Finishing off this week, I have some science news to share as MIT researchers have discovered a very special material that is able to act as two different types of superconductors, and may help to find more superconductors in the future. This new material is a kind of layered crystal called a natural superlattice, where a superconducting ultrathin film of a superconducting material is placed between two layers that protect it. This stacking of layers, which can happen naturally when the proper elements are involved, makes it a larger crystal, which is important as a macroscopic crystal is much easier to work with than the ultrathin film that is effectively two-dimensional. The greater size also makes it possible to use more tools to study it, as some care difficult to apply to 2D materials.

The crystal structure is not the only thing that makes this material interesting, but also the kind of superconductivity it demonstrates. Some forms of superconductivity work because of Cooper pairs, which are special pairs of electrons that are able to move without resistance. The catch with Cooper pairs is they can be interfered with, destroying the superconductivity, and one common source of interference is a magnetic field. However, this material is a finite momentum superconductor, which means it actually becomes superconducting when a magnetic field is applied. This kind of superconductivity was first theorized in the 1960s, but this is the first observation of it. This kind of superconductivity will also open up the ability to create various patterns of superconductivity within the material, and that can open up a wealth of new experiments and discoveries.

This material is hardly done with its special properties though, as the researchers also determined it is a topological superconductor as well, which means the superconducting occurs along boundaries instead of through areas or volumes. In other words, the surface of a topological superconductor will allow electricity to flow without resistance, but the volume beneath the surface will resist the flow like any normal material. With the same material demonstrating both kinds of superconductivity, it opens up many more possibilities to learn still more about superconductivity and possibly more quantum mechanical phenomena.

Source: MIT

November 12, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 8, 2021'

9:55

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 8, 2021

Source: 2K [1] (Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure)

With the second week of November having reached its end, it is time to go through the press releases I have received, and first up is a time sensitive piece of news from 2K. The publisher and Gearbox Software have released Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure as a standalone game that is free on the Epic Game Store until November 16. If you miss the free period you do not need to worry too much for a couple reasons, with the first being this is a standalone release of the Borderlands 2 DLC of the nearly same name, originally released in 2013. The other reason to not worry is it can be purchased on Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 for $9.99, and will also be priced at that on EGS after the free period expires. (For reference, the GOTY of Borderlands 2 has a normal price of $39.99 on Steam.)

That was not the only news from 2K as the company has acquired elite3d, a Spanish studio that will be reformed as the second office for the wholly owned developer 31st Union and enable a new publishing location. TURIA GAMES, a studio co-owned by elite3d's founders, has also been acquired. As a second office for 31st Union, it will help with the in-progress development of an unannounced but "highly anticipated" AAA project. Some elite3d employees will join 2K's Global Services division, the team responsible for animation, art, motion capture, project management, game technology, talent casing, user research, visual effects, and more, according to the press release.

Source: 2K [2] (elite3d Acquisition)

Dear Villagers and developer Midgar Studio have released update 1.1 for Edge of Eternity this week, adding new quests, monsters, dialogue, and spells along with balancing changes and quality of life improvements. You can check out the update trailer below or the Patch Notes source link for more information.

Also announced is the game is coming to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 in Q1 of 2022. If you prefer the console experience and have been waiting for this news, you still have some months to wait, but it is coming.

Source: Dear Villagers [1] (Edge of Eternity) and [2] (Patch Notes via Steam News)

Blightbound from Ronimo Games and Devolver Digital has received its Divine Rite update, adding the new Seer Rook character, along with new features, items, and rewards. Seer Rook is a harbinger of holy havoc as he can apply Sun's Essence to heal himself and his allies and the Zealous Reward that will also heal allies as it decimates enemies. One of the features is the ability to play offline, a first for the game. Blightrifts have also been expanded, to offer more unique and dangerous challenges by testing your combat and puzzle-solving skills. You can watch the trailer below for more information.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Blightbound) and Patch Notes via Steam News

For those enjoying Outriders, Square Enix has announced a new Broadcast episode is arriving on November 15 at 9 AM PT, the first since the game's launch. It will give players a look at the upcoming free content update while also reviewing many of the improvements made to the game since its launch. You will be able to watch at Square Enix's Twitch Channel.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Outriders)

Techland, composer Olivier Derivière, and Black Screen Records have announced pre-orders are open for Dying Light 2's soundtrack, on both CD and a special vinyl edition as well. There will be two vinyl records for that edition, with one featuring the story and the other the world, allowing fans to immerse themselves in the game's post-apocalyptic world. Dying Light 2 is scheduled to launch on February 4, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch via its Cloud Edition, and these soundtracks will release the week after, on February 11.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2) and Black Screen Records (Vinyl Pre-order Page)

THQ Nordic has a couple announcements this week, starting with Elex II receiving its release date of March 1, 2022. Along with this announcement was that of the Collector's Edition for the game that will include a 9.2 inch Alb Figurine, a copy of the soundtrack, official artbook, 2 inch "Cleric Amulett" key chain, Steelbook case, and concept album in addition to the game itself. The suggested price for this edition is $149.99 and you can watch the trailer below to see all it will contain.

Elex II will be releasing for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: THQ Nordic [1] (Elex II)

The other piece of news from THQ Nordic is the announcement of This Is the President, an upcoming satirical thriller where you will get to be the President of the United States and have the goal of advancing your agenda. While in Oval Office you can spend your time as you wish and try to convince the populace you are a good president, or find your approval ratings collapse.

This Is the President is releasing on December 6 for the PC.

Source: THQ Nordic [2] (This Is the President)

Ubisoft has announced Rainbow 6 Extraction is releasing on January 20, 2022 and whether you get the Standard or Deluxe Edition, the game will come with two Buddy Pass tokens. These tokens will allow you to invite two friends to play with you for free, for up to 14 days. These tokens do support cross-play, so they can be redeemed on platforms different from yours, assuming the Trial Version of the game is available for that platform. Naturally any progression they make during those two weeks will carry over, if they choose to purchase the game.

If you own Rainbow 6 Siege and purchase the upcoming game, will receive the United Front bundle with its four exclusive gearsets split between the two titles, as well as immediate access to all 18 Extraction Operators in Siege.

Rainbow 6 Extraction is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, and Ubisoft+.

Source: Ubisoft (Rainbow 6 Extraction)

Closing this out for some non-gaming news, UL Benchmarks has released 3DMark Storage Benchmark, aimed at providing performance information on SSD storage from the latest PCIe 4.0-based NVMe drives to SATA SSDs and even hybrid drives. To set this test apart from other storage tests, this one will focus on giving real-world results by recording the traces of gaming loads. For example, it will look at the time it takes to launch Battlefield V to it reaching the main menu, recording 1080p60 Overwatch video with OBS, installing The Outer Worlds with the Epic Games Launcher, and saving in The Outer Worlds. In addition to giving a performance score, bandwidth and average access time metrics will also be reported by the test.

The 3DMark Storage Benchmark DLC for the Advanced Edition is priced at $2.99 on Steam and the UL Benchmarks website.

Source: UL Benchmarks

November 05, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 1, 2021'

9:14

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of November 1, 2021

It is the end of the week again, and so it is time to go through the press releases that have arrived in my inbox. As it turns out, this week has been fairly light for video game news, but we do still have some to cover, starting with some from 1047 Games. The studio has shared some information for Splitgate's November update, which will include significant changes to creating custom games, including the ability to save the game mode to a file, for easy loading later. Selecting maps and current game modes will also be easier thanks to a UI change placing them into lists, instead of needing to cycle through each value. A more significant change, however, is the ability to configure the teams differently, making asymmetric custom games possible. For example, one team could have increased health but without the ability to create portals, while the other has less health, portals, and maybe heavier weaponry too.

Along with the update's announcement is also the news that November 30 is the final day of Season 0's battle pass. If there is any content you want from that, you have the remainder of this month to unlock it. Just because Season 0 is ending, does not mean we are reaching the 1.0 release of the game, as the new season starting December 1 will be a preseason refresh with new content and a new battle pass. Splitgate 1.0 is currently aiming for a 2022 release.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games - Splitgate)

Devolver Digital was founded in 2009 and this week became a publicly traded company on AIM, a sub-market London Stock Exchange. While this is certainly a significant move from being a privately held company, the publisher's employees are still the majority owners. This change will bring in additional revenue for the company to continue doing what it does, and to enable partnerships it could not previously. According to GamesIndustry.biz, Devolver raised about $261 million when its stock went live and Sony Interactive Entertainment intends to make a 5% investment into the company. It will be interesting to see what all this will enable for the company that specializes in publishing indie titles, as now they will have more money to throw at the projects, and with this being Devolver Digital, I would not be surprised if they do, literally throw money at developers.

Source: Devolver Digital and GamesIndustry.biz

Next up is some news from Techland as it continues to share information on the upcoming Dying Light 2, this time with another episode of Dying 2 Know More with a special focus on the Lawan characters. Previously introduced along with the announcement of Rosario Dawson playing her, Lawan will be one of the major in-game characters players will interact with, and your decisions will impact hers as the story continues. Having survived in the City, Lawan has had to become strong and independent to survive, but is still haunted by her past, which is part of the character's complexity. She also has a special kill list and it would be best to keep playable character Aiden Caldwell off of it. As was revealed in a previous announcement, Lawan's quest for vengeance will be among what your decisions will affect.

Dying Light 2 is scheduled to release February 4, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and on the Nintendo Switch via the Cloud Version.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Rounding off the game news is an item from Ubisoft as Ghost Recon Breakpoint is free to play until November 7 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Google Stadia. All of the base game will be accessible as well as the Operation Motherland update. With this update Karen Bowman, a friend of the Ghosts, arrives and is there to help turn the technology of Auroa over to the Outcasts under Harui Ito. The island has become the center of a global conflict over the technology, but the Outcasts are a neutral force and so may reduce the growing tensions, assuming the new enemies you encounter do not stop you.

In addition to the new story elements, the update also adds Conquest Mode to the game's story mode. This challenges players to conquer areas of Auroa by completely various destabilization missions, such as removing surveillance and reducing enemy presence, both of which impact the world around you.

Naturally any progress you make during the free weekend will carry over if you decide to purchase the full game.

Source: Ubisoft (Ghost Recon Breakpoint)

October 29, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 25, 2021'

9:59

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 25, 2021

Once again the week has reached its end, but with it arrives Halloween and several associated events. GOG, the Epic Games Store, and Steam have all begun their respective spooky sales with all kinds of terrifying and not so scary games discounted. Both Epic Games Store and Steam are ending their sales on November 1 while GOG's continues until November 3. The GOG sale also features 48 hour flash deals and is giving away Dagon: by H.P. Lovecraft. The DRM-free storefront has also added to its library with Just Cause 1 and 2, The Shore, Agony, and Tormented Souls.

Source: GOG, Epic Games Store, and Steam

Turning to in-game events now, up first is The Harvest for Hunt: Showdown from Crytek. This live event will allow players to gain legendary items and other rewards until November 9, including Legendary Hunter "The Headsman," at a cost of 1000 event points.

Along with this event arrived the game's Cold Blooded DLC, adding "The Reptilian" legendary hunter, Legendary Bomb Lance "Tooth to Tail," and a Legendary Romero 77 Talon, "Avarice."

Source: Crytek (Hunt: Showdown)

Techland too is celebrating the spooky season with a Halloween event in Dying Light adding the "Volatile Rush" challenge where every noise you make summons a Volatile. Luckily with trick-or-treat potions to aid you in combat, you have a better chance at handling them. The Van Crane Bundle has also been released and it includes a new skin and weapons.

For Dying Light 2, which is releasing February 2, the studio has released The Jonah, the first "Story from the Dying City," an animation sharing one of the legends spreading among the Villedor citizens.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 1 & 2)

For non-Halloween news, we start with an announcement from Devolver Digital and Sheriff WolfEye Studios as Weird West has received its release date. On January 11, PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 gamers will be able to enter the surreal action RPG that will tell the stories of five unique characters. To celebrate the announcement, Episode 1 of "Road to Weird West" was released, in which creative director Raf Colantonio provides an overview of the game.

Also, those who decide to pre-order the game on steam will receive a horse named Calamity. It is a dependable enemy that should prove very useful as it doubles your inventory size and enables faster travel for escaping enemies and reaching timed objectives sooner.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Weird West)

PC Building Simulator has gained a new and free expansion this week, the IT Expansion that adds over 20 hours of story content. With this expansion you can start your new job at Irratech Corporation, trying to troubleshoot problems and demonstrate your support skills. You can watch the trailer below to see what you are in for, from scheduling jobs to going offsite occasionally. You can check out the source link for more information, including the list of new components added to the game.

Source: PC Building Simulator

Square Enix announced Star Ocean the Divine Force this week, the sixth mainline entry in it series, will be releasing 2022. Despite being the sixth game, it will be telling an original story with brand-new characters, making it a good place for newcomers to the franchise to start. For fans of the series, it brings back the dual protagonist system of Star Ocean: The Second Story with Raymond and Laeticia. While the former is the captain of a space trading ship, the Ydas, the latter is a princess-knight from an underdeveloped planet, but their meeting will change the galaxy. They are not alone in the story as you will find allies, but you will need to be careful with your decisions, as that will determine who will join you and who will not.

As the debut trailer below shows, the gameplay features 3D movement as the characters will be able to fly around the world, helping you explore and initiate combat. Enemies are present in the world and not just random encounters, so you get to decide how to engage them and then apply the character's fast movements to defeat your foes.

Though we do not have a specific release date yet, Star Ocean the Divine Force will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 when it does launch next year.

Source: Square Enix [1] (Star Ocean the Divine Force)

The Tomb Raider series has turned 25 years old and so Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics, and Eidos-Montreal are marking the occasion with sales and franchise announcements. From November 1 to November 14, those with Amazon Prime Gaming can claim a free copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider and it was announced that Feral Interactive is working with Crystal Dynamics to bring Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris to Nintendo Switch next year. There was also some non-gaming news announced as Netflix and Legendary Television are working with Powerhouse Animation to create an anime series based on the series. The adventures of the series are set after the Survivor trilogy that ended with Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018. Hayley Atwell will be providing the voice of Lara Croft with Allen Maldonado voicing the tech-expert, colleague Zip, and Earl Babylon is back as the voice of Jonah Maiava.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix [2] – Tomb Raider Series) and [3]

October 22, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 18, 2021'

10:13

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 18, 2021

Once again the week has reached its end, and so it is time to go through the different press releases that have collected. First up is from 2K as the publisher and Gearbox Entertainment have shared more details and a trailer for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Among the new information are two of the classes; the Stabbomancer and Brr-Zerker. While the former leverages stealth and blades to eliminate enemies, the latter smashes and then smashes again. Multiple environments have also been described, such as Brighthoof, the crown jewel of Queen Butt Stallion's realm, as well as her castle, Castle Sparklewithers that literally glows so bright, it bathes the world in eternal light. The Sunfang Oasis includes lush foliage, shimmering lagoons, and ancient ruins to explore, but you must be cautious of the Coiled as they try to slither closer to their prey. Lastly, of the freshly described environments, there is Tangledrift, a beanstalk that raised chunks of the world as it grew above the clouds, but just because a town is in the sky, does not mean it is safe from danger.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is launching of March 25, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

It being October means there are going to be Halloween events in a number of games, and Splitgate is no exception with its Spookygate event. As part of this the main menu and stadium arena have been given a holiday makeover, and a special set of challenges have been added as well. By completely these challenges you can unlock three fan-created weapon skins, but these challenges are only available until November 1 and some are quicker than others to complete.

The Spookygate content was not the only thing contained in the update as there were also some handy gameplay tweaks and changes applied as well. For example, you can now re-position portals by firing the same portal at itself. This will shift the placement of the portal on the surface, so if it was just a little too high, preventing you from walking in, you can make the adjustment much more easily now.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games â Splitgate)

The Arcade Crew and Berzerk Studio have announced Infernax, an upcoming title inspired by 8-bit retro classics that will give you a demon-slaying mission for its action-adventure experience. You play as Alcedor, a great knight who returns home to find unholy magic has spread throughout and now he must wield his mace and shield to annihilate the roaming beasts. Along the way you will encounter morality decisions that will come to influence the game later, determining which of the endings you will receive. Though it is offering side-scrolling action, Infernax features an open world-style design, so there will be plenty of secrets to discover.

Along with this announcement is a trailer, but it has been age-gated as Alcedor demonstrates the skull-splitting capabilities of his mace: Infernax - Announcement Trailer. The release window is Q1 2022 and it will be arriving on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew â Infernax)

Another title announced this week that we can expect next year is Souldiers from Dear Villagers and Retro Forge Games. This title promises to combine Metroidvania exploration, crunchy Soulslike combat, and precision platforming into a single experience with a pixelated aesthetic. You can play as a scout, caster, or archer as you fight for Terragaya, a land on the edge between life and death. The classes, combat, and world are all shown in the announcement trailer below.

Souldiers is aiming for a Spring 2022 release for PC and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Dear Villagers â Souldiers)

Boomerang X has received its first major update, dubbed the Endless Update as it adds an Endless Run Mode to challenge players, but also the new Red Garden map. The new game mode features a variety of options too, so you can make it something absurdly difficult or maybe just a different flavor of what the game offers. The update is already live for owners and there is an Endless Mode standalone demo available as well, for those interested in a taste.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital â Boomerang X)

Koch Media and Milestone revealed this week that Hot Wheels Unleashed will be starting its DC Super-Villains Racing Season on November 11, during which players will receive free content as well as premium content that can be unlocked via new challenges. This new content includes theme customization items for the Basement location and the Player Profile, but also six themed vehicles: Bane; The Cheetah; Poison Ivy; Black Manta; Deathstroke; and Harley Quinn. The season runs until January 18, so hopefully every player interested will have enough time to enjoy it.

Also revealed was the release date for the Batman Expansion DLC that will add a Gotham-inspired Career Map, the Batcave environment, and naturally themed vehicles. These vehicles cover the Penguin, Robin 2.0T, Armored Batman, Batman Rebirth, and the Joker GT. This expansion will be available December 2 and is part of the Hot Wheels Pass Vol. 1 but will also be available separately on that day.

If Batman and DC characters are not as interesting to you, it was also announced the Hot Wheels x Gucci Cadillac Seville will be coming to the game in the coming months. A real, limited-edition 1:64 scale replica of the "Seville by Gucci" was announced recently to celebrate Gucci's 100^th anniversary. Though we do not have a release date for this vehicle to arrive in the game yet, just that it will be in the coming months, if you are looking to race around the orange track in style, this might be the car you want.

Source: Press Releases (Koch Media â Hot Wheels Unleashed)

As I said earlier, with it being October, we can expect Halloween-themed events to arrive in various games, which for Super Animal Royale means the Bwoking Dead infection mode. Until November 9 you can try to survive the Cluckles as they try to turn players into zombie-like Joe Clucks at least until they can escape the island on a Giant Eagle. The mode supports 40 players, four of which will start the match infected. Like many other infection modes, the Zombie Joes will be faster than normal players and a kill guarantees the survivor will return as a another zombie, but there is also a 10% chance to infect with your attacks. When infected, you will have ten to 20 seconds until you turn, but the other survivors will not know this, giving you the opportunity to strategically place yourself.

You can learn more about the game mode by following the source link below, including the list of cosmetics you can purchase with candy corn you collect. There are eight new cosmetics, such as the Jack-O-Cap and Pumpkin Shotgun, as well as 19 legacy cosmetics available to purchase. Game balance and quality-of-life improvements have also been delivered as part of this update.

Source: Modus Games (Super Animal Royale)

Dice Legacy is an interesting game with its mix of roguelike survival design and the city-builder genre where every action is based on dice rolls that released recently, and this week received its first free content update; the Memories update. With this new content, features, and fixes have arrived, such as a full active pause, accessibility options, and the ability to rebind hotkeys, as well as the Memories system. It is a modifier system that unlocks after you first finish the game to add to its replayability. The update is out now on PC and will be arriving on Nintendo Switch soon.

Source: Press Release (Ravenscourt â Dice Legacy)

Since the announcement a couple weeks ago, probably a lot of people have been looking forward to learning when GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition will be releasing, and today the date was shared. On November 11, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch gamers will be able to return to these classic titles, or enjoy them for the first time. That is just the digital release though, with the physical versions for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch will be available on December 7.

As part of The Definitive Edition, the trilogy will have GTAV-inspired modern controls with visual enhancements across the board, including resolution upgrades and improved visual fidelity. These improvements include a rebuilt light system with better shadows, weather, and reflections, upgraded models, higher resolution textures, new foliage, smoother surfaces, and increased draw distances. The PC version specifically will support NVIDIA DLSS as well. Though the games were originally developed by Rockstar Games, this adaption to modern platforms was done by Grove Street Games using Unreal Engine.

As November 11 approaches, we can expect more information to be shared by Rockstar Games, including at the newly created site dedicate to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy â The Definitive Edition: rockstargames.com/GTATrilogy.

Source: Rockstar Games (GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition)

Closing out this week is a behind-the-scenes video from Slocap for the upcoming Kung Fu action game, Sifu. The video features the motion capture work done to ensure the game's combat will be realistic as you hunt down the assassins that murdered your family. The collaboration between the developer and combat choreograph Benjamin Colussi spanned months and included the early development phase of the game. The main character's movements are in fact inspired by Colussi and his approach to Pak Mei Kung Fu. He created over 200 moves for the main character, covering hand-to-hand combat as well as the use of various weapons, and they will have an authentic feel to them while also being visually impressive.

Sifu is set to launch February 22 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Slocap â Sifu)

October 15, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 11, 2021'

10:04

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 11, 2021

Another week has come to its end and so it is time to go through the various press releases that have arrived in my inbox. Starting this one off with some news you very possibly already saw but arrived just after I posted last week's collection; Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy â The Definitive Edition. This month marks twenty years since Grand Theft Auto III released, bringing the franchise to three dimensions and placing players in Liberty City, and so there is no better time to announce this new title that contains that as well as GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas. The trilogy will be arriving on the Rockstar Games Launcher for PC, Xbox One, Play Station 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch later this year. In the first half of next year it will come to both iOS and Android as well, so if you want it, there are plenty of places you will be able to play it.

In addition to that news, GTA Online is also celebrating the anniversary with triple rewards in Sum, and those who log in before October 20 will get a free GTA III themed Rockstar Games Typeface Tee in-game. We can also expect more commemorative clothing and liveries to arrive as the celebration continues.

Source: Rockstar Games [1] (Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy â The Definitive Edition) and [2] (GTA Online)

The first news I have from this week is also from a 2K published game as Borderlands 3 has begun Maurice's Community Carnage Challenges event, and with it a free weekend. The game will be free to play on Steam and Google Stadia until October 18, while the Xbox version will only be free until October 17, as will be the PlayStation version, but it requires an active PlayStation Plus membership.

The first of Maurice's challenges is to collect 500,000 body parts from the Traunt family, which means killing Captain Traunt on Athenas, General Traunt on Nekrotafeyo, and Captain Haunt in Heck, if you have the Bloody Harvest event active. If the community is able to collect enough parts, a SHiFT code will be released to grant a Ratch Rider head to all who redeem it, and the second challenge will be revealed. You can check out the first source link below to follow the currently active challenge.

By the way, if you try the game during the free weekend and find you enjoy it enough to want a copy, a physical version of the Ultimate Edition for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 has been recently announced. Obviously you will need the version of these consoles that has a disc drive, but they will be available starting November 12.

Source: 2K [1] (Borderlands 3 â Maurice's Community Carnage Challenges) and [2] (Borderlands 3 â Free Weekend)

We're still a couple weeks away, but Square Enix has released the launch trailer for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. It is set to "Kickstart My Heart" by MÃ¶tley CrÃ¼e and shows off some of the chaos that can be expected as this group of misfits work together to save the galaxy. The game releases on October 26 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, GeForce NOW, and the Cloud Version for the Nintendo Switch, though only in select regions.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix â Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)

Lastly for the gaming news, we have some from Techland for Dying Light 2 with a short documentary describing the inspiration of the soundtrack as well as how it will match the game's setting and experience. It is pretty interesting to watch and listen to, in part because of the different challenges that had to be overcome, such as having to record the orchestra in separate sections and sessions, instead of all together. You can watch it here: "Run, Jump, Fight" â Making of Main Theme From Dying Light 2 Stay Human.

Also shared this week was another episode of Dying 2 Know More with this one giving information about the City Alignment system; how choices will influence the game world and restore abandoned structures. These structures will be occupied by one of the factions in the game, and it will come to represent the philosophy of the faction you assign it to. With a structure restored, it can open up access to vendors with unique items as well as new quests and collectibles.

Dying Light 2 is launching February 4, 2022 on Pc, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and the Cloud Version for the Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Releases (Techland â Dying Light 2)

For those still playing Dying Light, Techland has expanded its Hellraid DLC with a new map section and quest. The reward for the quest is magic by granting the player the Fire Wand for shooting fireballs and the Wand Mastery Skill. Earning it will be a challenge though as failure is not tolerate. The quest must be completed in a single run, so if you lose all of your lives, your progress will be reset. Luckily potions of Endurance, Power, and Speed have been added as well to help you on your journey.

Also, an update has been released for the Be The Zombie mode, and you can check out its patch notes with the second source link below.

Source: Press Release (Techland â Dying Light) and Steam (Dying Light: Be The Zombie patch notes)

Apparently it has been five years since AMD launched its Ryzen line of processors, and it has certainly been an interesting half-decade of technological advancement. To mark the occasion, the company put out a video featuring John Taylor and Robert Hallock, the Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Technical Marketing, respectively, to talk about not only these five years, but also the future for AMD processors, making it an interesting video to watch. Among the topics is what can be expected for the next generation platform, as the current AM4 platform is at or near end-of-life status. There have already been leaks and rumors about the potential AM5 platform, such as switching from PGA to LGA, but also what other technologies it will support. It was stated quite clearly it will support both DDR5 and PCIe 5, but also AMD is working to maintain compatibility with AM4-designed coolers.

Though there was talk of the next platform, it was also stated the 3D V-Cache technology previously shown off will be arriving on AM4 early next year. For those who do not remember, this allows additional L3 cache to be attached to the top of Zen 3 compute dies, and this additional cache alone can result in significant performance improvements. Zen 4 is also targeting a 2022 release, though it would be later in the year.

Intel will soon be releasing its Alder Lake design that uses multiple core designs, making it possible for tasks to be run on a high efficiency or high performance core, depending on what is most appropriate. AMD is also looking into mixed-core designs and while there were no real details given, it was said the plan is to apply the philosophy behind the Zen cores and looking at the range they offer, from low power to high performance. Importantly it was also mentioned AMD will not need to explore configurations that may be harder to address in software.

Two additional topics mentioned were the use of accelerators and what is being done for improving power efficiency. They can see how building certain accelerators into the chip could be useful, with examples being adding noise-cancellation into the silicon directly, as well as AI/ML accelerators that could be leveraged for improving performance. On the power efficiency front, the company is apparently working on a new solution that it sounds like is far more granular and intelligent than we have today. Instead of having power states based just on how great the load is, it would consider the task being done. Also designing power states to turn off more parts of a chip, such as CPU and GPU cores to reduce power consumption when those parts are not needed.

As I said, it is an interesting video so you may wish to watch it yourself to hear all of what was said.

Source: YouTube Video (AMD)

Lastly, here is some news some of you may have been looking forward to as Noctua has released chromax.black versions of its NH-U12A CPU cooler and NF-A12x25 fans. These fans are considered some of the best 120 mm fans you can find today with their ability to move a significant amount of air while still being very quiet. The NH-U12A comes equipped with two of them and has a special asymmetric design to provide superior RAM clearance and cooling efficiency. However, some do not care for the brown and tan coloring Noctua products typically come with, which is why the Chromax line exists.

The cooler and fan as well as NA-HC7 in chromax.black and NA-HC8 in chromax.black and chromax.white heatsink covers are available now. The covers are priced at $19.90, the fan at $32.90, and the cooler at $119.90.

Source: Noctua

October 13, 2021

Permalink for 'Acer Announces Several Products at Holiday Global Press Conference'

10:30

Acer Announces Several Products at Holiday Global Press Conference

Today Acer held its Holiday Global Press Conference where it announced several new products from the ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition laptop, to new Vero devices, and even a Predator gaming projector. If you are looking for a new system, it is possible the company announced something that might fit your needs. The press conference was streamed on YouTube and I have placed the embed of the recording at the end of this item, for those interested in watching it.

Covering the gaming products first, we have the Predator GD711 projector as well as the new Predator Orion 7000 desktop and a 55 inch Predator Gaming Desk. The Orion 7000 will be available in the second quarter of 2022, but with that wait comes Intel 12^th Gen Core processors paired with up to 64 GB of DDR5-4000 RAM and up to an NVIDIA RTX 3090, so it should be able to handle most any game you can throw at it. The case features tempered glass side panels that are EMI compliant and at the front a pair of Predator FrostBlade 2.0 140 mm fans can be spotted with their ARGB LEDs while another 120 mm fan is at the rear. In addition to that airflow to keep things cool, the CPU will use an AIO cooler. As for other specifications, it can have up to two 1 TB m.2 SSDs utilizing PCIe 4.0 NVMe and during the video it was said PCIe Gen 5 will be supported when drives are available. If that is not enough storage, it can have two 3.5 inch drives, up to 3 TB each, and sports a 2.5 inch USB 3.2 Type-C hotswap drive bay. For connectivity you have three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 2x2 Type-C port, two USB 2.0 ports, and three audio jacks on the back with three Type-A ports, one Type-C, and two audio jacks on the front panel. The Orion 7000 also features Intel Wi-Fi 6E with 2x2 MU-MIMO for wireless connectivity and Intel Killer 2.5G LAN for wired network access.

The gaming projectors are the Predator GD711 and Predator GM712 with the former being a smart 4K LED project while the latter is lamp-based. The GD711 is able to cover 125% of the Rec. 709 color gamut, offers 4000 LED lumens, a high dynamic contrast ratio, and HDR10 support. In its standard mode it projects at 3840x2160 but also has two game modes for bright and dark scenes. It supports variable refresh rate as well, but in this mode it will only offer a resolution of 1920x1080, but at 240 Hz for PC and 120 Hz for console. Its throw ratio is 1.22 so it can give you a 100 inch screen from just 2.70 meters away. For connectivity it has two HDMI 2.0 ports, audio out for connecting additional speakers, three USB Type-A ports with special purposes. One for the projector's hidden wireless dongle, one for connecting wireless accessories, and then one with DC 5V out that can also be used for updating its firmware. The GD711 will be available in the EMEA region in December while the GM712 will be available in January for the same region.

The Predator Gaming Desk provides a 55 inch space for your system, monitor, accessories, and everything else we collect on our desks. There are two surfaces to choose from with one being carbon fiber that is easy to clean and another covered with a Predator mouse pad. The desk has a rack for storing controllers and game cartridges, a headphone hook, cup holder, and a tray in the back for AC power adapters. It will be available in the EMEA region in December.

Source: Acer [1] (Predator Lineup)

Acer recently launched its Aspire Vero laptop that features a more environmentally friendly design by using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic as well as being upgradeable, so you do not need to replace the entire system when a simpler upgrade will get you the performance you need. As part of this event Acer announced multiple additions to this lineup, including the TravelMate Vero, Veriton Vero, and even the Vero BR277 monitor. This is a 1920x1080, 27 in monitor and naturally is Energy Star, TCO, and EPEAT certified. The display's housing is made from 50% PCR plastic and it the panel can be dimmed down to just 15% brightness, which is dimmer than most monitors currently available, for when you do not need the extra light or want to use less power. The Acer Ergostand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and is height adjustable. It will be available in March, starting at $299.

The TravelMate laptop line targets professionals, and the new TravelMate Vero offers a case made with 30% PCR plastic and can be easily upgraded and repaired. Inside the laptop is an 11^th Gen Intel CPU, up to a Core i7 paired with 16 GB of DDR4 and 1 TB of SSD storage. It does offer discrete TPM for enterprise level security and manageability and will support the different security features of Windows 11 Pro with Acer ProShield Plus security. This will be available in January and start at $899.99.

Next we have the Veriton Vero Mini, a compact desktop with 25% of its case made from PCR plastic. It utilizes Intel Core vPro CPUs and offers Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E connectivity along with multiple USB and display ports. Looking at the pictures it seems there are two Type-A ports on the front as well as a Type-C port, but I cannot see a view of the back panel.

Source: Acer [2] (Vero Lineup)

Something announced at a prior press conference was Acer's SpatialLabs technology that uses a lenticular display to recreate 3D images without the need for special glasses. Though it had been limited to professionals that joined the SpatialLabs development program, now the ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition laptop has been announced, which will be available some time in 2022. It will be powered by an 11^th Gen Intel Core H CPU paired with up to an RTX 3080 laptop GPU and up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, so it should be able to handle a great deal of what you throw at it. The display is PANTONE validated with 100% Adobe RGB coverage and at 4K resolution. With stereo cameras it will track eye positions and movements to correctly display stereographic images for the 3D effect, and with AI technologies it will be able to create 3D content from 2D images. In the video it was mentioned that this could be applied to games as well as teleconferencing, though the latter would require the other party also use a SpatialLabs device. The SpatialLabs Model Viewer supports multiple formats and there are add-ons for applications such as Autodesk Fusion 360 and Zbrush to make reviewing designs in 3D easy. There is also an Unreal Engine plug-in and new support for Ultraleap Hand Tracking, making it possible interaction with virtual objects possible without special input devices.

Separate from this special edition laptop, Aver has also announced new ConceptD 3 laptops, including a 16-in clamshell model and 15.6 in convertible that comes with a Wacom EMR pen. The clamshell design will be available in January starting at $1699.99 and $1899.99 for the Pro version while the convertible Concept 3 Ezel will be available in November at $1899.99 and the Ezel Pro in January starting at $1999.99.

Source: Acer [3] (ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition)

Though not shown in the conference, Acer has also announced today two new monitors and an ultra-short throw projector; the L811. This laser projector is able to produce a 120-in image from just 0.312 meters away, is HDR10 compatible, and provides 4K resolution. It even supports 3D Blu-ray at 144 Hz 24P and offers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

As for the monitors, we have the Nitro XB272U KF, a 27 in 1440p display with a 300 Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support. Its gray-to-gray response time is stated to be 0.5 ms and it offers 90% coverage of DCI-P3 for DisplayHDR 600 certification.

The CB273U monitor also features a 27 in, 1440p display but I do not see a mention for its refresh rate. It is an IPS panel though and display 8-bit colors. The dock offers a 90 W USB Type-C port for powering laptops, an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a built-in KVM switch.

The L811 project is to be available in the EMEA region in November while the two monitors are coming to North America in November. The Nitro XV272U KF will cost $1099.99 while the CB273U will be priced at $439.99.

Source: Acer [4] (Monitors)

Rounding this out, Acer has expanded its antimicrobial product portfolio, which uses a silver-ion agent on surfaces to prevent microbes from growing and spreading. The new products to offer this are the Enduro Urban N3 laptop and Urban T3 tablet, which already offer a durable design, the TravelMate Spin P4 business-grade convertible laptop, VE246Q 23.6 in FHD monitor, KM501 Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, and the eco-shell jacket. You can check out the source link for more information on these products, including availability and pricing.

Source: Acer [5] (Antimicrobial Product Portfolio)

October 08, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 4, 2021'

10:28

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of October 4, 2021

Once again, the week is coming to its conclusion and so it is time to collect together some of the video game news from recent days. Actually it has been somewhat light for specific game news, at least for what has arrived in my inbox, but then this week also has seen what could prove to be one of the largest leaks in video game community.

On Wednesday some 125 GB was leaked with the anonymous hacker source claiming it contains the entirety of Twitch, from source code to user payout information. According to Twitch though, there is "no indication login credentials have been exposed," though the company is continuing to investigate. If you have a Twitch account, it might not be a bad idea to enable two-factor authentication and possibly change your password, if only out of an abundance of caution. The streaming site has reset all stream keys, so if you stream to the platform and rely on that method as opposed to logging in to your account, you will need to update the key in your software. For those concerned about credit card information, Twitch has stated that is not stored by the site, so they were not exposed.

According to Twitch, an error in a server configuration left it exposed to the Internet, and this is what allowed the data to be downloaded. According to the Video Games Chronicle reporting, the leaker is claiming this is in an effort to disrupt Twitch's dominance and support competition in video streaming, because of the "disgusting toxic cesspool" its community has become. The leaker also claims to have more data to share, with this leak just being the first part but there is no indication of what more there is to come.

It is important to note that with the source code for Twitch now exposed, as well as information on its clients, IGDB, CurseForge, and some unreleased software including a potential Steam competitor called Vapor, there could be more risks to come. Such information may enable new vulnerabilities to be found by malicious actors, and the situation itself may prompt phishing attempts as well, so, as always, practice caution with your online activities.

Source: Video Games Chronicle and Twitch

Coming to some more positive news, Devolver Digital and developer Daniel Mullins have shared a developer walkthrough for upcoming title Inscryption. The game is a card-based combination of roguelike gameplay with escape-roomy style puzzles and psychological horror, and if that sounds weird, be sure to watch the walkthrough. It may prompt more questions than answers, but at least you get a look at how the gameplay goes.

Inscryption is to release on October 19 and is 10% off on Steam until then.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Inscryption)

Prime Matter has shared a video and voice actor information for the upcoming Gungrave G.O.R.E.. This resurrection of the Gungrave franchise will still feature Tomokazu Seki as Grave's voice, and he is not the only returning actor from prior games in the series. Fumihiko Tachiki will be voicing Bunji and Kumi Sakuma as Mika once again. Joining the cast are Masami Iwasaki and Akio Otsuka with the former voicing Ganpo, the boss of the Raven Clan, and the latter Zell Condorbrave, an immortal mercenary captain.

The new video is behind an age-gate on YouTube but features Tetsuya Shibata and Yoshino Aoki, the composers for this game's soundtrack. Both of these composers previously worked on Final Fantasy XV with Shibata also composing for Devil May Cry and Aoki worked on Breath of Fire. You can find the trailer here: Gungrave G.O.R.E - Behind the music of G.O.R.E.

Source: Prime Matter (Gungrave G.O.R.E.)

Square Enix has shared a few trailers this week for the upcoming Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy with one featuring Cosmo, the space dog. He has appeared in other trailers, but this latest one features him and his puppies communicating with the Guardians. As the Chief of Security for Knowhere, he too has an interesting in the events the team has found themselves in and thus helps them on their mission, at least if Rocket is not too annoying, it seems.

Also released this week is information on the game's soundtrack, including "Zero to Hero," a new song performed by the Star-Lord Band for an unapologetically 80s music video. (Zero to Hero Animated Music Video) The company has also shared the 30 licensed tracks the game will include, with songs from Motley Crue, Pay Benetar, BLONDIE, and plenty more. Reading through the list, Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" appears, which I guess is not too surprising, but it will be interesting to see how it is used.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled to release on October 26 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and the Nintendo Switch with the game's Cloud Version.

Source: Press Releases (Square Enix – Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) and Square Enix (Licensed Tracklist)

Also announced this week by Square Enix is the released date for Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, with this action RPG releasing on March 18 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Coming from Team NINJA, KOEI TECMO GAMES, and Tetsuya Nomura this title is to bring a new version to the Final Fantasy series to appeal to existing fans and new players. As Jack and his allies enter the Chaos Shrine, they will have to prove they are truly the Warriors of Light to survive the challenging and strategic action gameplay the game will offer.

Along with the release date announcement is a trailer, but it is age-gated: Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin | Release Date Announcement Trailer. For those interested in the game, a new version of its trial has been released, though only for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. The changes were made in response to the feedback from the first version, with visual improvements, rebalanced actions, tweaks to the companion AI, and the ability to customize companions as well.

Source: Square Enix (Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin)

Techland has shared another episode of Dying 2 Know More, giving more information and insight into Dying Light 2's soundtrack by an interview with composer Olivier Derivière. In the video we get to see a custom instrument built specifically to provide in-game sounds, as well as some of the inspiration behind the game's main theme of "Run, Jump, Fight."

The custom instrument designed by Nicolas Bras is called the Electric Psaltery and is meant to look like an instrument that could have been built in the game, having been constructed from an old bicycle wheel, steel rod, metal wires, and more you could find in the City. It can be played by plucking or bowing its strings with the different sounds corresponding to specific characters. The "wheel of fate" at the top can also be heard in game whenever you make a major decision.

Dying Light 2 is scheduled to release on February 4, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch with a Cloud Version.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Closing things out is some news from Acer as it has announced three new laptops, and their availability. Among these three is the Aspire Vero as it is now available for purchase. For those unfamiliar with it, this laptop has been designed to be eco-friendly by using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in its case and keyboard and completely recyclable packaging. It is EPEAT Silver certified as Acer kept to certain environmental criteria including substance management, materials selection, energy consumption, and product longevity. The case is made from 30% PCR plastic and the keyboard's caps are 50% PCR plastic. Also to reduce the environmental impact, no paint is used on the surface of the laptop's case, and the VeroSense software has modes optimized for energy efficiency. The Vero offers up to an 11^th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU that can be paired with up to a 512 GB m.2 SSD. The display is a 15.6 in FHD IPS that is powered by the Iris Xe graphics of the CPU and it sports Intel Wi-Fi 6, one USB Type-C port, two USB 3.2 ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port.

The Aspire Vero is available now, though only in a higher-end configuration that starts at $899.99. For a less expensive model using a Core i5, 8 GB of DDR4 memory and a 256 GB SSD priced at $699.99, you will have to wait until a little later this month.

Another laptop announced was the Swift 5, an ultrathin and light device that can still come with a Core i7 CPU and meets the requirements of the Intel Evo platform. It is able to offer 17 hours of battery life, which was tested with video playback and additional configuration details can be found in the footnotes of the source link below. The Swift 5 weighs in at 2.29 pounds thanks to its magnesium lithium and magnesium aluminum chassis, enabling strength without adding much to the mass. Its touchscreen display has a layer of Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass, while the case, touchpad, keyboard, and other covers on the device have had an aBRP and EPA-compliant silver-ion treatment applied to be antimicrobial. The display is a 14 in FHD panel with a 340 nit brightness rating and 100% sRGB coverage.

The Swift 5 is available now with a starting price of $1099.99.

Lastly we have the Nitro 5 that features a 144 Hz display for an improved gaming experience. There is both a 15.6 in and 17.3 in model to choose from that can be paired with a Core i5 or Core i7 CPU and NVIDIA GTX 1650 or RTX 3050 Ti GPU.

Available in the middle of this month, the Nitro 5 will be priced at $769.99 for the 15.6 in model with Core i5, 8 GB of DDR4, and 256 GB SSD while the 17.3 in model with Core i7, 16 GB of DDR4, and 1 TB SSD will be $1199.99.

All three of these laptops will support Windows 11, and later this month both the Swift 5 and Nitro 5 will be available with it pre-installed.

Source: Acer

October 01, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 27, 2021'

10:05

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 27, 2021

The week has come to its end, which means it is also time to go through some of the news from it, starting with a bit of time-sensitive news. GOG is turning 13 years old and naturally is celebrating with a sale that goes until October 6 as well as some additions to its library. These additions are Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain that brings you to the beginning of the Nosgoth saga as well as Elvira: Mistress of the Dark and Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus, vintage games from the cult horror series. All three of those are on sale at 10% off but you can find over one hundred more discounted by up to 90% as part of the Anniversary Party sale.

Source: GOG (Anniversary Party)

There is another anniversary being celebrated this week as the Civilization series turns 30 , so 2K and Firaxis have put together a trailer to celebrate the player, and Sid Meier has written a blog post about the franchise's three decades. If you, like many of us have had those "Just one more turn" moments into the early morning or managed to lead a people from ancient times to the space age, you may want to check this out.

Source: 2K/Civilization

Splitgate has received a significant update this week with such changes as improvements to the mantling system and support for NVIDIA Reflex. With the new mantling system it should be easier for players to climb ledges and apply verticality in combat, and by having it apply the jetpack, there is no animation to interfere with your gameplay. NVIDIA Reflex should help to cut down on latency that may make the difference in a match, but does require an NVIDIA GPU to utilize. Voice chat has been improved and featured playlists that will rotate each weekend have been introduced as well. A pretty neat feature to arrive with this update is to customize the color and enemy and friendly players' armor and outline colors, so instead of your team being blue and the enemy being red all the time, you can make them what you want.

You can check out the source link or the video to learn more about this update.

Source: 1047 Games (Splitgate)

The Arcade Crew and developer 1P2P Studio have announced Young Souls is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in Q4 2021. Originally an exclusive to Google Stadia, Young Souls is a co-op RPG, beat 'em up that follows misfit twins as they explore various realms to find their guardian, a professor who vanished just before they found a portal in his estate. Training during the day and adventuring at night, Jenn and Tristan face immeasurable dangers to find the professor and protect the world from the monsters beyond the Moon Gate portal.

For those not so interested in waiting for the full release, from October 1 to 7, a demo will be available on Steam as part of its Next Fest. This demo covers the game's opening battles and sets the stage for the eventual showdown.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew â Young Souls) and Young Souls Steam Store Page

HandyGames has released a new trailer for A Rat's Quest: The Way Back Home that features Mat the rat sharing how he found himself so far from his home and his true love. After escaping from a well he was thrown in, he will have to cross a significant distance to return to the house, climbing, jumping, crawling, slithering, and sneaking along the way. It will not all just be travelling though, as there will be boss encounters to overcome in addition to the natural threats and over 200 voiced cinematics telling the tale as well. You can check out the new trailer below for a better glimpse of what we can expect when the game releases.

Source: HandyGames (A Rat's Quest: The Way Back Home)

Prime Matter has shared a couple stories as part of the Tokyo Game Show 2021, including the announcement of Ikumi Nakamura being involved in the development of Gungrave G.O.R.E. Yasuhiro Nightow, the creator of anti-hero Grave, revealed Nakamura has been heavily involved in development, bringing her own style to the game while helping Studio IGGYMOB achieve their vision for this sequel. You may be familiar with her work as lead art designer for The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2, creative director for Ghostwire: Tokyo, an artist on Okami and senior artist on Bayonetta.

In Gungrave G.O.R.E. you play as the anti-hero Grave as he tears through enemies with a ballet of bullets and third-person action. Though it is a sequel and resurrection for the Gungrave franchise, it will also serve as a standalone story for a new generation of gamers and consoles. Along with the announcement was an extended cut cinematic trailer that includes the first look at gameplay, but it is age-restricted on YouTube, so here is the link: Gungrave G.O.R.E - Gameplay Reveal + Extended Cinematic Trailer [ESRB].

Source: Prime Matter [1] (Gungrave G.O.R.E. â Source in German)

Also announced by Prime Matter at the Tokyo Game Show 2021 were character reveals for The King of Fighters XV. Isla and K' are new characters joining the roster with the former featuring similar powers to Shun'ei, her rival. K', on the other hand, is a modified human with genes transplanted from Kyo Kusanagi and a mixed personality as an utterly blunt introvert. He has the power to wield fire and uses it in his fights as he tries to regain his lost memories.

Both new characters are featured in their own trailers and you can follow these links to check them out: KOF XV?ISLA?Trailer #30 and KOF XV?K'?Trailer #31.

Source: Prime Matter [2] (The King of Fighters XV â Source in German)

Square Enix has shared a few things this week, including the announcement of Dungeon Encounters, a single-player dungeon exploration RPG that will be coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on October 14. The game has been directed by Hiroyuki Ito, a veteran of the Final Fantasy series and producer for Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age and will test players with its 100 levels of challenges. With its 2D grid-based movement, players are to explore the otherworldly labyrinth filled with obstacles and monsters, making it necessary to strategize to survive.

You can watch the announcement trailer below and if this seems like a game for you, there is be a 20% discount on Steam and the Nintendo Switch until late October. It will enter the PlayStation Store on October 14 and those with a PlayStation Plus membership will see the 20% discount applied if they purchase it before October 28.

Source: Square Enix [1] (Dungeon Encounters)

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is set to release on October 26 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and GeForce NOW alongside a Cloud Version for the Nintendo Switch, and this week the PC Tech Trailer was released, showcasing the different features that will be available to PC gamers. Like many of the latest AAA titles, it will support real-time ray tracing and diffuse illumination along with HDR and wide color gamut. Though it might be hard to find the hardware to play it on, the game will also support resolutions up to 8K. For those with an NVIDIA RTX graphics card, it will also employ DLSS to help improve performance through AI-enhanced upscaling. You can check out the trailer below to see the impact these technologies can have on the visual experience.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix [2] â Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)

Lastly for Square Enix, the release date for Life Is Strange: Remastered Collection has been announced as February 1, 2022. Players will get to experience Max's rewind ability and Chloe's quick-witted attitude with remastered visuals with an improved engine and lighting upgrades, and even new motion captured facial animation for Life is Strange. The Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered will include the game's Deluxe content, such as the Farewell episode and Zombie Crypt outfit. When it launches, the collection will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix [3] â Life is Strange: Remastered Collection)

Dying 2 Know: Episode 4 released this week from Techland, giving us the next glimpse into Dying Light 2, and with this episode we got a closer look at the game's setting of The City as well as the music recording process for Olivier Deriviere's compositions. It was also revealed that actress Rosario Dawson has lent her talent to the major in-game character Lawan, a woman seeking revenge on the people who wronged her, but through the player's choices she can become obsessed with her goals and rage, or develop into a nightrunner with the purpose of helping others.

Dying Light 2 is scheduled to launch on February 4 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch for the Cloud Version. Originally the Switch version was going to come after the others, but perhaps with the recent delay to February, it will now be a simultaneous release across all of these platforms. For those Switch players interested in the series, Dying Light Platinum Edition will be coming to the Nintendo console on October 19.

Source: Press Releases (Techland â Dying Light 2)

Now for some non-gaming news and the first piece can be described as the end of an era as Silicon Lottery is shutting down on October 31. For those unaware, Silicon Lottery is a store front with the somewhat niche business of binning CPUs for overclocking potential, as well as de-lidding processors to apply superior thermal paste. Unfortunately as both AMD and Intel have made significant advances in boost technologies and both now employ solid TIM to connect the dies to the heat spreader, the market for this store has reduced. Additionally, the company has suffered from supply issues with significant delays for recent releases.

Though the store is shutting down, Silicon Lottery does note in its announcement that it could return in the future. It depends on the market and if we see overclocking headroom open up again or if the variation between parts increases in the future. Some parts today are binned versions of others, making the extra binning of Silicon Lottery less necessary for many, further reducing the niche the store served.

Source: Silicon Lottery

Lastly are some announcements from UL Benchmarks starting with an update to 3DMark that adds Steam achievements and trading cards, for those with a Steam copy. There are 17 of these new achievements and some old ones have been updated as well, giving owners a chance to unlock them again with newer benchmarks and test. Some were also removed for being too difficult or incompatible with modern hardware. As for the trading cards, there are six that can be earned with each featuring a character from the software's benchmarks. These have been rendered at a high resolution and you can even open the cards up to view the uncropped 1920x1080 version of the art.

The other announcement is that UL Benchmark's different tools will be ready for Windows 11 when it releases on October 5. There may be some minor updates so the UI and results files can properly detect the new OS, but 3DMark, PCMark 10, VRMark, UL Procyon, and Testdriver, the last two target professional users, are compatible with Windows 11, and in the case of PCMark 10, it is compatible with Microsoft Office 2021. In the future the company does intend to add support for Virtualization-based Security, VBS, a technology that can reduce performance and will be enabled with a fresh install of the operating system, but not when upgrading from Windows 10.

Source: UL Benchmarks [1] (3DMark Update) and [2] (Windows 11)

September 24, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 20, 2021'

10:31

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 20, 2021

With another week coming to a close we have another batch of video game news items to go through, starting with one from The Arcade Crew as The Last Spell has received a major update. This Early Access game, which I greatly enjoyed when reviewing, is a roguelite tactical RPG that pits players against hordes of enemies trying to swarm the final remnants of humanity. The only hope is to hold them off long enough so the Last Spell can be cast, bringing an end to magic and the monsters. With this update the game gains a new map, Glenwald that is filled with obstacles that contains Mist Censers that hide parts of the map as well as enemy. You can also expect to find the new Guardian enemy that will apply defensive buffs to its cohorts around it. Three new Apocalypse levels have been added as well, for those that want to increase the difficulty.

You can check out the update's trailer below, my review is linked above, and if either or both make the game interesting to you, it is 10% off until September 30.

Source: The Last Spell Steam News

It has been a while since hearing anything on this, but Deep Silver and FISHLABS has not only released a new trailer for Chorus, an upcoming space-shooter, but revealed the launch date of December 3. In the game you play as Nara, an ace pilot who once served the cult known as the Circle and the Great Prophet, but after witnessing a world's destruction, left that life. The Circle has come for her, so now she must once again be the expert pilot of her sentient starfighter, Forsaken, to survive and stop the cult.

The new trailer is Chorus 101 and gives players a better sense of what to expect in a few months, between Nara's powers, Forsaken's weapons, and some of the locations you both will be visiting to unveil the truth. The game will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and pre-orders are available now. Those who pre-order will receive the Elder Armor skin set, with its gold and purple livery that harkens back to Nara's time in the military.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver – Chorus)

Inscryption from Devolver Digital and Daniel Mullins has had its release date revealed as October 19. In this roguelike deck building game you have been trapped by Leshy and must build your deck by draft, surgery, and self-mutilation to learn what is beyond the walls of the cabin you are held in. The game offers a blend of escape-room style puzzles and psychological horror with its roguelike design and you can check out the trailer below or its Steam demo to learn more.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Inscryption)

Another Early Access game to receive an update this week was Phantom Abyss from Devolver Digital and Team WIBY. With its Invasion update, the asynchronous, procedurally generated, multi-player, game has new enemies, relics, phantoms, and more traps to challenge you as you race through temples to find and claim relics. Those are not the only changes though as temples now offer a single path to the Inferno, which holds the key to releasing the phantoms and sealing the temple forever. If you would rather collect a different relic and escape, you still can, unless someone got their first and have left you with a bag of sand as your prize. Check out the trailer below to see some of the new traps, such as homing bombs, dark mines, vertical spinning blades, and more.

If Phantom Abyss seems like your kind of game, it is on sale at 25% off from now until September 27.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Phantom Abyss)

HandyGames had a public showcase for Indie's Paradise 2021 this week, giving us a look at multiple games over its 36 minutes. You can watch it below to see Airhead, A Rat's Quest, Endling, One Hand Clapping, Perish, De-Exit – Eternal Matters, Scarf, and Townsmen VR, though the last three and their press releases I will cover below. With bookmarks in the YouTube video, you can easily skip to just the game you are interested in by looking at its description.

Source: HandyGames [1] (Indie's Paradise 2021)

First up of the three press releases is that for De-Exit – Eternal Matters, a game set after death where you wake up in a surreal world and are faced with events that threaten your new existence. With the world collapsing around you, you must be the hero to save it by avoiding conflict with steal, and solving puzzles.

Source: HandyGames [2] (De-Exit – Eternal Matters)

Next up we have Scarf, a 3D adventure platforming game where you will be accompanied through the environment with Scarf, a magical, shapeshifting creature you have known since birth. It needs help though, to find a way back home and to its mother, requiring you go on an odyssey to find the keys that were stolen. As you progress Scarf gains new abilities that will help you continue on, through new challenges to explore the stunning world.

Source: HandyGames [3] (SCARF)

Lastly of the separate press releases there is an update for Townsmen VR as it enters its final stage in Early Access. With this update you are no longer restrained to a single island but will be able to build you empire across 13 islands as you progress through the campaign. There are also over twenty resources, twenty buildings, and more than thirty upgrades and add-ons for these buildings. There is even a trading system with a harbor, ships, and marketplace, but also pirates and shady merchants to be weary of. You can check out the showcase below to see what you can get your giant virtual hands on.

Source: HandyGames [4] (Townsmen VR)

Koch Media and Playcorp have released Beyond Contact, a new survival game to Steam Early Access this week that strands you on a hostile and undiscovered world. To survive you will need to explore, gather, innovate, and craft, but with the world's fauna, flora, and extreme weather you cannot expect it to be easy. Fortunately the narrative driven quests will keep you on track and you will be able to work with alien civilizations to learn more about the world and discover new technologies.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Beyond Contact)

Square Enix has shared not one but two new trailers for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, both featuring some of the dynamics between the Guardians and how the player will be able to lead them. Personally I think the Exploration focused trailer is the more interesting, so it is embedded below, so here is a link to the combat-focused video: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy – Lead the Guardians: Combat. In the Combat trailer you can see the talents for the different team members, such as Rocket with his explosives and Groot's ability to protect and even revive his friends. For when you need someone to charge in and stagger or stun your enemies though, you can turn to Drax while Gamora is able to deal massive amounts of damage to single targets. Star-Lord, meanwhile, does have his elemental gun that will gain the four elements over the course of the game, and his jet boots, allowing him to fly over the combat to take his shots.

With the Exploration trailer we see some of the locations the Guardians will visit and explore, with that exploration sometimes requiring teamwork to get through puzzles. It also touches on the spending of skill points across the team and some of the choices you will get to make, influencing the team as a result. This trailer also shows some of the costumes you can acquire and equip to give the Guardians your preferred appearance.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is releasing for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and GeForce NOW on October 26 with the Cloud Version coming to the Nintendo Switch in some regions on the same date.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)

Rounding off the gaming news are a couple items from Techland for Dying Light 2. First is the release of the Dedrick audio story that tells the tale of a daughter that disappeared as the City fell to ruin and when her father finds her, he has to make a choice that will impact more than one life. You can listen to the story here: Dedrick – Dying Light 2 Stay Human Audio Story.

The second piece of news for the game is the announcement of the next Dying 2 Know video that will release on September 30 at 12 PM PST. This will be the fourth episode in the series and have a focus on the game's world, and provide more information on its citizens and one character in particular. To see how free the player will be to explore, as well as the rewards they can find, alongside the two faces of the City, be sure to tune in next week to Techland's Twitch channel.

Dying Light 2 is scheduled to launch on February 4, 2022 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Releases (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Now for some non-gaming news as researchers at MIT have made yet another discovery that may influence the future of data storage and more. Most of the magnets we are familiar with are ferromagnets, which produce their magnetic field because the atoms align in one direction. There are other kinds of magnets though, such as ferrimagnetic materials, in which some atoms align in one direction, and the rest in the opposite direction. The direction of the larger magnetic field then is dependent on the balance between these two collections of atoms and the researchers found how to control this for gadolinium cobalt. This rare earth transition metal ferrimagnet and when made into a film, the researchers found splitting water on its surface will cause the magnetic field of the material to flip. This is because the hydrogen atom, rather its nucleus, a single proton will penetrate into the film and throw off the ferrimagnetic balance, causing the magnetic field to flip.

There are several potential uses for this discovery, but focusing on the data storage possibility first, this flip is achieved by just applying an electric voltage, and not a current that can cause heating making this very efficient. A test has already shown the material was able to go through 10,000 flips without noticeable degradation. This application is not likely to be the first though, as this discovery also has potential for sensors. The magnetic alignment has a spring-like quality to it with atoms pulling one that starts to drift back into alignment. This makes it possible for a spin wave to be formed in the material and it oscillations can have frequencies in the terahertz range. Not many materials are sensitive in this range of frequencies and this may be an easier feature to develop around than the potential for data storage.

Source: MIT

September 18, 2021

Permalink for 'THQ Nordic Announces 6 to Celebrate 10th Anniversary'

13:14

THQ Nordic Announces 6 to Celebrate 10th Anniversary

THQ Nordic is turning ten years old and has been celebrating the occasion with a Steam sale that includes giving away Titan Quest Anniversary Edition and Jagged Alliance 1 Gold Edition, but that is not all this publisher decided to do. The company also streamed a showcase that revealed six upcoming games, and for those hoping for a new game that was not shared, at the end it said 42 games are currently in development and there are still 28 yet to be announced. Hopefully the sequel or franchise reboot is in there, along with new IP.

Source: THQ Nordic [1] (10^th Anniversary Celebration)

Following the order of the showcase, the first new title announced was Destroy All Humans 2! Reprobed with Crypto returning to Earth in the 1960's. Players will get to travel across the United States, Unite Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Japan, and the Moon in this full remake of the original game crafted in Unreal Engine 4. Black Forest Games, the same studio behind the 2020 re-launch of the Destroy All Humans! franchise is behind this game as well. It is coming to PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5. Below is the announcement trailer but here is a link to the gameplay trailer that was also shared: Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed - Gameplay Trailer.

Source: [2] (Destroy All Humans!: Reprobed)

The next announcement was for Outcast 2 â A New Beginning as Cutter Slade returns to Adelpha, 20 years after the original game as the world is once again threatened by invasion. The mission is to form a resistance, rescue the people, and push out the robotic army trying to exploit the planet and its people. At your disposal will be a jetpack, dozens of modules to create your personal weapon, and the ability to freely explore and progress through the non-linear world as you wish. It is being developed by Appeal Studio, the original team behind Outcast Adventure and the open world action-adventure game will be coming to PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5. It too had an announcement trailer, embedded below, and a separate in-game trailer: Outcast 2 - A New Beginning - World Trailer.

Source: [3] (Outcast 2 â A New Beginning)

The next game reveal was for MX vs ATV Legends, the next entry in the franchise that will also bring the series to Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, along with PC. It will feature the deepest career mode yet for the series, allow you to find your own path to the podium with a new level of player choice concerning sponsorship opportunities and invitational events. We only got an announcement trailer for this, so here it is.

Source: [4] (MX vs ATV: Legends)

Those looking for a grand-strategy experience will be happy to learn SuperPower 3 was announced and it is aiming to give players the chance to see if they could do a better job running the world than the people currently in power. Your purpose is to lead your chosen country. from selection of 194, to world domination or to master the different scenarios presented to you. The economy, politics, diplomacy, social development, military strategy, and more of the nation will be under your control. Without an official end to the game it will be highly replayable, and importantly will feature a mod-friendly architecture to enable custom scenarios to be devised.

Source: [5] (SuperPower 3)

For the fans of mercenaries, Jagged Alliance 3 was announced and is coming from Haemimont Games as your organization operates in the fictional Grand Chien where the Legion has taken over. It will combine tactical, turn-based combat with the need to explore the larger game world as you will want to find the different strategic elements available to you, such as gaining control of territories, training local forces, and creating multiple squads.

Source: [6] (Jagged Alliance 3)

The last of the new game announcements was for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, which will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. SpongeBob and Patrick have been granted wishes by the fortune teller Kassandra, and naturally opened up portals to Wishworlds where their friends get lost. You will need to explore the seven distinct worlds to rescue them and find more than 30 F.U.N.tastic costumes including SnailBob and SpongeGar. Luckily Balloon-Patrick will be your permanent companion for the adventure and all of your favorite Bikini Bottom characters will be voiced by their original actors.

Source: [7] (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake)

It was not just new game announcements that were shared as part of the showcase as both ELEX II and Expeditions: Rome had new trailers and information revealed. For the former, the new trailer was showing off the game's story as Jax returns from exile to try bringing the people of Magalan back together, before a dark power arrives to threaten everyone. Fortunately he will have his trusty jetpack to help him explore the lived-in world. The NPCs you encounter will remember what you have done and react accordingly, will join and leave your group depending on your behavior, and can even be killed if you are not careful. ELEX II will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Unfortunately there is no press release accompanying the Expeditions: Rome showcase trailer, but you can see some of what the game will offer and the decisions involved with its development. Be sure to check it out if you are interested in this tactical, turn-based, RPG that is coming to PC.

Source: [8] (ELEX II)

September 17, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 13, 2021'

10:00

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of September 13, 2021

It's the end of the week and so time to go through the different press releases that have collected in my inbox. In addition to those, there is also an interesting piece of science news at the end that may impact the future of data storage. First up though is some time-sensitive news from THQ Nordic that is celebrating its 10^th anniversary with sales and a showcase. Starting with the sale, a host of games are discounted at Steam, including the Darksiders series, Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning, and Despardos III. For those not so interested in spending money, Titan Quest Anniversary Edition and Jagged Alliance I Gold Edition are both free to keep for the length of the sale.

The sale ends on September 23 but later today, at 9 PM CEST the 10^th Anniversary Showcase will begin on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam, where the company will show off six new game announcements, and players will get to witness "the return of legendary franchises," as well as see new IPs. It definitely looks like it should prove interesting and I know I have a classic franchise or two I would enjoy seeing new life.

Source: THQ Nordic (10^th Anniversary Celebration) and Steam Sale Page

Some bad news for Battlefield fans as EA announced this week Battlefield 2042 will be launching November 19, about a month later than previously announced. In the announcement the company specifically mentions the hope had been to have the teams back in the studios ahead of launch, but that has not been possible. As a result they want to give the game some extra time to achieve they vision they want for it and the players.

Source: EA (Battlefield 2042)

Dead Cells has received update 25 and with it various changes that may make some current and future players rather happy. Named Practice Makes Perfect, the game now has different options that should make it easier for new and occasional players, but as these are all optional the current hardcore players can still enjoy the game as they have been. With the new Aspects feature, the game can give you strong powers to make your run easier, but progression is halted as you cannot unlock a new boss cell or gain flawless boss achievements. If you want to reach the next level, you will need to turn these off, but it will still be a way to get a feel for the level and its enemies. The training room is another addition that will allow you to practice against the mobs and bosses you have encountered, and in their own environment too. Another addition is a world map that shows the paths throughout the island, but there is the catch that you will have to have already seen them to appear on the map. A couple other changes are a reminder for how to exit the run after defeating the Hand of the King and total damage is now displayed on the stats from a scroll.

Source: Press Release (Motion Twins â Dead Cells) and Patch Notes

What would make conquering the world better? Portals! At least that is the conclusion of those at Rebellion as Evil Genius 2 has received a free DLC that adds new traps, loot items, and lair items all with a Portal theme, and, of course, the new Test Chamber room type. You will be able to defeat invading agents with propulsion and repulsion gel traps, the Aperture Science Multi-Purpose Science Panel, and, naturally, the Cake That Is A Lie trap. As for the loot items you have the orange portal, the blue portal, the companion cube, and actual cake. There are also side story objectives accompanying these.

That is not the only DLC that has released, but the Mechanical Minions pack does cost $3.49. It includes the Work-O-Tron and GuardBot 2.0 minions as well as the assembly lines for both and Robot Charging Station as lair items. You can watch the trailer below to see the various additions from these two DLC.

Source: Rebellion (Evil Genius 2)

Publisher Serenity Forge and developer White Rabbit have announced Death's Gambit: Afterlife is releasing on September 30 for PC and Nintendo Switch, making it the first release for this series on a Nintendo platform. Death's Gambit: Afterlife is a 2D action metroidvania that features precision-requiring combat and with this definitive version of the game 10 new levels, 6 new boss fights, 22 new weapons, 100 talents, and much more are being added to the experience originally released in 2018. For those who already own the original game on Steam, Afterlife will be a free upgrade to it. If you are a dedicated fan of the game, there will be a physical edition of it as well, though for the Nintendo Switch, featuring a two-sided poster of the artistic overview of the game's map as well as a hand-drawn rendition of the key art. You can also get the limited edition vinyl soundtrack from the Serenity Forge store.

Source: Press Release (Serenity Forge â Death's Gambit: Afterlife)

Turning to Techland now, which had three Dying Light 2 announcements, with the most significant being a delay for the release until February 4. Though it is complete and the developers are able to playtest it, the scale and ambition of the project is larger than anything they have done, so they feel they need to additional time to polish and optimize it. For those especially anxious to learn more about the game though, next month press and content creators will be able to get access to PC and console versions as part of a series of preview events, making it possible to share their experiences with you.

The developer has also shared an episode of Dying to Know More that provides an extend cut of reveals, with this one giving special focus to the weapon designs of the upcoming game. As the game is set 20 years after Dying Light, new weapon designs are in order as the higher quality weapons have worn out, so you will be relying on those created within the City. You can still find some of the older, premium weapons around, but they will be very rare. You can also expect your weapons to still wear out during battle, which means you will need to be prepared, either with your attack strategy or your inventory.

Lastly, the next audio story has been shared, this one titled "Antigone." With this story an older woman shares a story with a young couple; a long-forgotten story from when the outbreak began. It shares how even in a world were love can face severe tests, it can still overcome the challenges it faces. You can listen to it here: Antigone â Dying Light 2 Stay Human Audio Story (YouTube).

Source: Press Releases (Techland â Dying Light 2)

Finishing off the gaming news, Ubisoft has announced Discovery Tour: Viking Age will be released on October 19. Like the previous Discovery Tours, this will use the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla to present an educational journey through the historical setting. The museum partners for this include the Hampshire Cultural Trust, The British Library, The Reunion des Musees Nationaux, York Archaeological Trust, the National Museum of Denmark, Nationalmuseet, and Preston Park Museum & Grounds.

Those who own the game will receive a copy of this for free while the standalone version on the Epic Games Story and Ubisoft Connect will be priced at $19.99. For the first time of this franchise, standalone versions will also be released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna, though these versions will arrive in arrive in early 2022.

Source: Ubisoft (Discovery Tour: Viking Age)

As for non-gaming news, first up is the result of a partnership between EK Water Blocks and Seagate; the FireCuda 530 Heatsink. This NVMe SSD utilizing PCIe 4 features transfer speeds of up to 7300 MB/s and utilizes DDR4 for caching, SLC dynamic cache, and a technology called SmartFlush to recover the SLC cache quickly, to prevent it from filling up. That combination of speed and features means the drive will produce a lot of heat, which is why EK has designed a low-profile heatsink for it, to improve its performance by reducing throttling. Do not worry, this is not a water block but a passive heatsink and so is fit for any build and even the PlayStation 5. It will available in 1 TB and 2 TB versions priced at $259.99 and $539.99 respectively.

Source: EK Water Blocks (FireCuda 530 SSD)

Now for the bit of science news I have for you coming from MIT and its Materials Research Laboratory. There, research and colleagues have made an important discovery of so-called white graphene, a form of boron nitride that has been of interest for use in computing technologies for some time, but this discovery opens up new possibilities. Stepping back a bit, graphene is a form of carbon that impacted the scientific community tremendously when it was discovered 17 years ago because it is a single-atom thick. In this configuration the carbon atoms form a hexagonal structure like chicken wire with some very curious and powerful characteristics such as exceptional electron mobility, flexibility, and strength. Once this first 2D material was found with such intriguing properties the race was on to find more, such as boron nitride.

Though not consisting of a single element, boron nitride has been dubbed white graphene because it also has a hexagonal structure, and this geometry is very important. Research with graphene has hardly waned since its discovery in part because it was found that by controlling the angle between two sheets of it even more amazing properties can be produced, such as superconductivity. Perhaps not so coincidentally, one of the researchers that discovered that unconventional form of superconductivity was involved in this research.

What the MIT researchers have found is boron nitride too will demonstrate new capabilities by stacking the sheets and controlling their angle. In particle, the researchers found having two sheets stacked in parallel make white graphene ferroelectric. That means positive and negative charges will move to different sides of the material without any special coaxing. What gives this discovery such potential for future applications is an electric field will flip the polarization, and this is achieved at room temperature.

One of the possible applications for this discovery is for denser memory storage, especially as we are talking about two single-atom thick sheets. The polarization also does not flip except when an electric field is applied, which means the data will be stable over time, and a proof-of-principle experiment has already been done to show this.

The researchers are hardly done though as it was found that by twisting the boron nitride sheets to a different angle produce a ferroelectric state unlike any seen before. We may also see this research lead to the discovery of additional ferroelectric materials, include more that are ultrathin.

Source: MIT

August 27, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 23, 2021'

12:22

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 23, 2021

Most of the video game news from the week I already covered a couple days ago in the Various Video Game Stories for Half the Week of August 23, 2021, but gamescom 2021 is not over yet, and there is some non-game news to share too. First up though is the continuation of a gamescom announcement with a new trailer for Saints Row, the franchise's reboot.

The announcement included a cinematic trailer to introduce players and franchise fans to the new crew and setting for the game, Santo Ileso, but this new trailer shares some gameplay while also talking about the reboot's design. That includes the game being a reboot as opposed to a sequel, to escape any limitations that can come from the Saints Row legacy. It is an interesting watch if you are interested in this next step for the series.

Source: YouTube (Saints Row channel)

Square Enix has announced Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend is coming to Steam on October 21 but mobile devices will have it sooner, on September 21. This collection that includes The Final Fantasy Legend, II, and III was originally released on Nintendo Switch last year, to celebrate the series' 30^th anniversary. It will feature several improvements such as character speed boost and adjustable screen magnification. For those who play on Steam it will also have a 4K-compatible mode.

Source: Square Enix (Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend)

Next we have Techland as it shared its third episode of Dying 2 Know at gamescom, showcasing the parkour and combat of Dying Light 2, which also had a new gameplay trailer release. The trailer is embedded below and here is a link to Dying 2 Know: Episode 3 Gamescom Edition. Among what it shows is the different traversal options players will have to explore the city, such as parkour but also zip lines and a grappling hook. We also get a look at how parkour is used in combat as well as the weapons that will be available to dispatch enemies, whether they are infected or human.

Dying Light 2 is to release December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. For those interested in the original Dying Light, the Platinum Edition is actually coming to the Nintendo Switch and the physical version will include a survival guide, two-sided map, and unique stickers. We can expect more details and the release date in the future.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Comanche from THQ Nordic exited Early Access this week, and with the release update came seven new Conflicts missions, and you can pilot new variants of the Comanche in some of them as well. Keeping things interesting, two new enemies were added tool; the sniper railguns and ICBM carriers. Missions, both old and new, saw their graphics upgraded and localizations were added so you can play in English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian, or Chinese. The game is currently priced at $19.99 on Steam.

Source: THQ Nordic (Comanche)

Lastly we have some non-gaming news, though it is still relevant as UL Benchmarks as released a feature test showcasing Sampler Feedback. This is one of the features highlighted under DirectX 12 Ultimate, alongside ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders, which are all present in 3DMark already. The purpose of sampler feedback is to make texture streaming more efficient by tracking where textures are being sampled. Instead of needing to load an entire, massive texture onto VRAM, just the portions needed could be loaded, freeing up memory and bandwidth for other uses. It can also be leveraged to do more work in texture space, where special performance optimizations can be applied as compared to screen space, by skipping areas that will not be seen.

This and the other DirectX 12 Ultimate feature tests are included in 3DMark Advanced Edition for free, for those that want to give it a try. It will require running Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, and with a DirectX 12 Ultimate supporting GPU and drivers.

Source: UL Benchmarks

August 25, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories for Half the Week of August 23, 2021'

21:39

Various Video Game Stories for Half the Week of August 23, 2021

With gamescom 2021 happening this week my inbox has been inundated with press releases, so rather than wait until Friday to cover it all, I thought I would share what I have early. As usual I will be going through these in alphabetical order by publisher, which means starting with some news from 1047 Games, the studio behind Splitgate. Last we heard the free-to-play, online multiplayer FPS was having its open beta extended indefinitely as the developers continue to work on improving its backend and servers because of the significant load from its popularity. The first month of the open beta saw over 10 million downloads and was clearly more than was expected.

As part of Opening Night Live, Splitgate's Season 0 was not only announced but launched, adding new seasonal challenges and rewards, a new map, new modes, and a battle pass with 100 levels. One of the new modes is Contamination Mode that is what it sounds like as contaminated players have only a melee weapon and the uninfected wield shotguns. The match ends when everyone is infected with players earning points with kills, regardless of which side they are on at the time. The new map is Karman Station that is described as an "open galactic playground" and features an exposed center and outer sniper tower, but do not be fooled as teamwork will be necessary to claim objectives in the neighboring corridors and rooms.

A Season 0 trailer was also shared, showcasing gameplay at a level above me, but is not an inaccurate representation of the experience.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games – Splitgate)

Next we have some news from 2K as it announced with Marvel Entertainment Marvel's Midnight Suns, a tactical RPG set in the Marvel Universe that will have players team up with the titular team to take on supernatural forces from the underworld. Hydra has revived Lilith, the Mother of Demons and she is dedicated to completely an ancient prophecy that will restore her evil master Chthon. The Avengers have turned to the Midnight Suns, Nico Minoru, Blade, Magik, and Ghost Rider, who each have their powers rooted in the supernatural to help them in the fight. This also includes resurrecting the Hunter, a forsaken child of Lilith's and the only hero known to have defeated her.

The studio developing the game is Firaxis Games, the same studio behind the XCOM and Civilization franchises and while a cinematic trailer has been shared today, it will be next week, September 1 when we get the first look at the gameplay. The game itself is targeting a March 2022 release on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: 2K (Marvel's Midnight Suns)

Deep Silver made an announcement that many have been interested in, including myself, as the Saints Row franchise is returning with the upcoming reboot, Saints Row. Slated for a February 25, 2022 release, this game is a reboot for the franchise that will be set in Santo Ileso, a fictional city in the American Southwest as you and your crew will form the Saints to take on Los Panteros, The Idols, and Marshall Defense Technologies. Santo Ileso is the largest Saints Row playground yet created with nine unique districts and you will get to shoot, drive, fly, and wingsuit around it as you build your criminal empire with Neenah, Kevin, and Eli at your side. The game will also feature the "most advanced suite of customization tools yet seen in an open-world game" and it will cover your character, car, and crew.

Being a Saints Row title, it is hardly surprising the announcement trailer is behind an age gate, so here is a link for those of you curious about what the future holds for this franchise: Saints Row Official Announce Trailer. It will be coming to PC via the Epic Games Store, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver – Saints Row)

Devolver Digital has a couple pieces of news from the week, thus far, such as the announcement of Cult of the Lamb from developer Massive Monster. In this dark game you play as a lamb possessed by an ominous stranger that saved your life, but at the cost of needing to build a following in its name. In a crumbling world with false prophets, you will need to build your cult and explore mysterious regions to grow your community and spread the word. When returning from your journeys, you will find the needs your followers must be fulfilled to receive their devotion, which will increase your power.

Cult of the Lamb is aiming for an early 2022 launch on PC and consoles.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Cult of the Lamb)

The second piece of news from Devolver Digital does not concern gamescom but is the release of an update for Phantom Abyss, the asynchronous multiplayer game featuring procedurally generate temples to explore. Dubbed the Overturned Update, it adds new content and features such as 28 new chambers and rotating rooms to turn adventurer's upside down while searching for the temple's relics. A Blessing has been added as well, with this one coming at the cost of others but will ensure you never lose your Basic Whip.

Phantom Abyss is currently in Early Access on Steam and so we can expect more updates with new content to arrive in the future.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital – Phantom Abyss)

Dotemu has shared a new trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge featuring April O'Neil, who will be a playable fighter alongside the heroes in a half shell. She will be wearing her iconic yellow jumpsuit and have her reporting gear as she pummels the Foot Clan's soldiers. Her agility combined with her far-reaching slide kicks enable here to approach her targets quickly.

The game is slated to release in 2022 for Pc and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge)

Koch Media announced King of Fighters XV: The King of Fighters during gamescom Opening Night Live and that this title from SNK Corporation will be launching on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on February 17, 2022. The title will feature 39 characters, including classic characters and fan favorites that have been resurrected, all alongside those crucial to the game's events. This will make it the first time the heroes from each saga come together and it will continue from the previous game's Story Mode as it heads toward an explosive climax.

In addition to the classic 3v3 team battle system, the game will include new features such as Shatter Strike for countering enemy attacks, and improved MAX Mode, and MAX Mode (Quick) that has a rush function to accelerate combos by rapidly pressing the attack buttons. The game will support 1 to 2 players locally and 2 to 8 for online play, with online modes including Casual and Ranked matches, Room Match, and Online Training. The new Draft Vs mode will have you trying to grab your favorite characters before your opponents can.

Pre-orders for the console versions are already available covering the Standard Edition with just the base game at $59.99, Day One Edition with the Terry "Garou: Mark of the Wolves" DLC outfit that is also $59.99 but only a physical retail SKU, and the Deluxe Edition (Digital) with three days of early access, the Team Pass 1, and exclusive "Classic Leona" outfit, priced at $84.99.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – King of Fighters XV)

Prime Matter has shared a new trailer for Encased, an upcoming isometric dystopian sci-fi RPG being developed by Dark Crystal Games. Last month previews were published and it was noticed that almost everyone was playing the game "normally," following the standard path through the Dome, the game's setting. To address this oversight, the developers put together this trailer, showing off how you can go with such playstyles as pure stealth or pure pacifist and find full narratives and story options still available.

Encased is currently in Early Access on Steam with the first act and part of the second included, but will be released on GOG and Epic Games Store as well.

Source: Prime Matter (Encased)

Also being published by Prime Matter, Wasteland 3 has had its Cult of the Holy Detonation expansion shared at gamescom. This is the second and final expansion for the game from inXile Entertainment and will be arriving on October 5, 2021, along with the Colorado Collection bundle. In this expansion you find what mutant cults call the Holy Detonation, a nuclear explosion somehow being held in stasis under the Cheyenne Mountain military complex and presently being worshipped as a deity. It could be used to power Colorado Springs for centuries or reduce it to rubble in an instant but cults are warring over who should be allowed to honor it. This expansion will be included as part of the Expansion but will also be available individually for $6.99. The trailer is age-gated, so here is a link to it: Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation - DLC Announce Teaser.

The Wasteland 3: Colorado Collection is what you may expect as it contains the base game, the first expansion, The Battle of Steeltown, the second expansion described above, and the Colorado Survival Gear that is granted at the start and should make your arrival into Colorado a bit easier. It will be available on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 5 with an MSRP of $59.99.

Source: inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3)

Publisher Ravenscourt and developed Wild Forest Studios shared a new gameplay trailer for Night is Coming, an upcoming mashup of survival and city-building that is arriving next year on PC. In the trailer you can see as you must work to satisfy your settlers' needs during the daylight hours, and prepare your defenses for when night falls and the monsters come. The monsters and mythical creatures come from the Count Dracula and Van Helsing universe and you will need to assign your soldiers, build defensive structures, and wielding magical spells to keep the villagers sane.

Source: Ravenscourt (Night is Coming)

The upcoming Kung Fu action game Sifu from Slocap has had its release date revealed as February 22. In this single player experience, players will fight to avenge your family by going after the assassination squad that murdered them, all set in a fictional Chinese city with an ancient mystery to uncover. A magical pendant revives you if you die, but the cost is years of aging each time.

Sifu will be available on PC via the Epic Games Store and PlayStation consoles with the Standard Edition priced at $39.99 and the Deluxe Edition at $49.99. Pre-orders are up now with the Special Avatar Pack and exclusive Photomode Cinematic Pack included with both while the latter also receives 48 hours of early access, a digital art book, and the game's soundtrack.

Source: Press Release (Slocap – Sifu)

Square Enix shared a couple pieces of news this week as well, including the announcement of Final Fantasy IV releasing to Steam and mobile platforms on September 8 as part of the Pixel Remaster series. In this title the Kingdom of Baron has sent the Red Wings, an elite airship fleet to attack the surrounding countries but Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings decides to fight against Baron. Searching for the crystals, he must travel over and under the land, to the Land of Summons and even the moon, and will eventually team up with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and more. As part of the Pixel Remaster series, the game features updated 2D pixel graphics, rearranged soundtracks, improved gameplay, and quality of life improvements such as the bestiary.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Final Fantasy IV)

The other item from Square Enix is a new trailer for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, showcasing Grand Unifier Raker and the Universal Church of Truth. There are actually two versions of this trailer with the one embedded below lacking the commentary from Bill Rosemen, the former editor for the comic from 2008 to 2010, but that version can be watched here: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Grand Unifier Raker Cinematic [Commentary]. In it you can see as the team meets Grand Unifier Raker who is not interested in harming them, even though Rocket just shot at him. Instead, he will bring them to the Matriarch.

This cutscene was shared by NVIDIA actually, as it announced the game will feature both ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS when it launches October 26. It will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and streaming via NVIDIA's GeForce NOW. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version will be launching on the same day for the Nintendo Switch in select regions as well.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)

Another game announced as having ray tracing and DLSS support is Dying Light 2 from Techland. By partnering with NVIDIA, the developers have been able to implement advanced ray tracing effects into its proprietary C-Engine. These effects include physically correct shadows that will incorporate the angular width of the Sun along with improved ambient occlusion, with DLSS helping to recover some of the performance cost from these effects. The trailer below not only shows off the visual improvements but provides some of detail on what has been achieved.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly, Ubisoft has begun the open beta for Riders Republic, the game that places you inside a social playground filled with various outdoors sporting activities from skiing and snowboarding to wingsuiting and biking through recreation's of iconic American national parks. This beta is open on PC via the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store as well as the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, and there is cross-play support. The beta goes until August 28 and already includes Mass Races that pop up every hour and can involve over 50 players, Versus Mode so you can challenge up to five friends, and Tricks Battle to compete in 6v6 matches to land as many tricks as you can to earn points. On August 27 the Free for All mode unlocks, allowing you to face up to 11 opponents in a select playlist of events.

Source: Ubisoft (Riders Republic)

August 20, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 16, 2021'

12:24

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 16, 2021

The end of the week has arrived, so it is time to go through some of the video game news that has arrived, starting with the time-sensitive news for the GOG Games Festival. From now until September 2, GOG is running this large sale that also includes the arrival of various games to its DRM-free library. For classic games, four Tomb Raider titles have been added and GOG has announced upcoming titles such as Psychonauts 2 will be arriving next week, on August 25. You can also find many games on sale such as Bioshock Infinite, Gods Will Fall, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Cyberpunk 2077 which recently received its 1.3 update. That patch includes various improvements and optimizations along with some new content. Also, for those with a GPU that supports ray-tracing, Quake II RTX is now available on GOG for free. This version only includes three levels of the game, but if you also own the original, you can have access to all of the levels with ray tracing and the many other effects NVIDIA added.

Source: GOG

Splitgate from 1047 Games has been wildly popular in its current open beta phase, to the point the developers have already had to delay the official launch as they work to increase server capacity. Now the developers have decided to extend the open beta period longer as they continue to work on the game's backend to improve the multiplayer experience. This extensive is currently indefinite though, so we no longer have a release date target but the game is fully playable in this open beta. If you decide to give the free-to-play FPS with portals game a try, just remember to be patient if you do not load in immediately.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games – Splitgate)

Young Souls is a co-op RPG beat 'em up from developer 1P2P and publisher The Arcade Crew, and this week it arrived on Google Stadia along with the announcement it will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch this Fall. In the game you play as Jenn and Tristan, misfit orphans that find themselves fighting otherworldly monsters with their arsenal of weapons and unique gear, all to find their guardian who vanished just before they found a portal on his estate.

For more in-depth information about the game, one of its developers shared some behind-the-scenes information at the PlayStation blog, linked to below.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew – Young Souls) and PlayStation Blog (Young Souls)

gamescom 2021 will be starting shortly and today publisher Prime Matter announced Dolmen, a third-person action RPG from Massive Work Studio will be present. Those waiting for a look at the sci-fi universe will be glad to know the first gameplay footage will be revealed as part of the convention. Streamer Lobos Jr. will be showing off an area not seen before as well as an epic boss fight.

Dolmen will be present in the Opening Night Live 2021 Pre-Show, on August 25 starting at 10:30 AM PT, and on August 26 at 1 PM PT as part of the Future Games show. The title is scheduled to launch next year for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Prime Matter

The first gameplay trailer of Life is Strange: True Colors has been released by Square Enix, giving players a chance to see Alex walk through the Haven Springs' Record Store. The game is scheduled to launch on September 10 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Google Stadia with a Nintendo Switch release coming later this year.

Source: Press Release (Square Enix – Life is Strange: True Colors)

Have a couple of news items from Techland and am starting with the announcement for Dying Light as a new event has begun for this game that originally launched six years ago. Named Low Gravity, alien forces have arrived in Harran, and the players much fight to protect Earth from this invasion and the influence of the invaders. During the even players will be able to jump higher, fall slower, take less damage from a fall, and use a grappling hook to quickly zip to a target. Actually players are not the only ones to feel this influence as the infected too will fall more slowly and take no damage from falling while explosions and the dropkick can send them flying.

As part of the event, special challenges have been added such as the local event to defeat 100 enemies. Players who achieve this will receive the V-27 Chameleon Machete (gold) and if the global event of eliminating 100 million infected is achieved, players will get three King upgrades. Players can also purchase the Astronaut Pack that contains the machete, the V-23 Eraser laser rifle, V-40 Suspender stasis pistol, V-9 defender suit, and V-39 Star Rover buggy skin. The Astronaut pack is priced at $2.99.

The Low Gravity even is going until September 1.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light)

The other piece of news from Techland is that the next episode of Dying 2 Know, the series giving more information on the upcoming Dying Light 2, will be a special gamescom episode airing August 26 at 11 AM PT. The host will be the lead game designer, Tymon Smekta?a, and the team will be revealing more about the game's parkour and combat as well as sharing a new gameplay trailer.

Dying Light 2 is scheduled to release on December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Finishing this week off is some news from EK Water Blocks I thought some might be interested in. For starters the custom liquid cooling has begun its Back to School sale that includes some deals as well as free EK-Vardar S 120ER D-RGB fans with the purchase of an EK-AIO D-RGB cooler. If instead you are looking to do a custom build, the company has also launched its EK-Loop Connect – Temperature Plug Sensor that can be installed in any open G1/4 port and connected to the EK-Loop Connect control hub or a motherboard temperature sensor connector. As liquid coolers actually cool the liquid and not the hardware components directly, being able to monitor the liquid temperature can be important to achieve optimal performance and to trigger emergency shutdowns, if things get too warm. The sensor can measure between 0 ºC and 90 ºC, has a nickel finish, and is priced at $6.99 in the EK Webshop.

Lastly, the company has launched its EK-Loop Screwdriver Basic Set that includes a magnetic screwdriver handle and 48 bits to make maintaining a custom loop easier. It includes standard, security, and specialty bits to cover various piece of hardware, from PCs to smartphones, consoles, small appliances, and more. You can see the complete list of bits through the source link below. The set is priced at $23.41 in the EK Webshop.

Source: EKWB [1] (Back to School Promotion), EKWB [2] (EK-Loop Connect – Temperature Plug Sensor), and [3] (EK-Loop Screwdriver Basic Set)

August 19, 2021

Permalink for 'Intel Architecture Day 2021 Announces Arc Branding for GPUs, XeSS, and Alder Lake CPU Details'

16:45

Intel Architecture Day 2021 Announces Arc Branding for GPUs, XeSS, and Alder Lake CPU Details

Source: Intel [1] (Arc Press Release), [2] (Intel Arc Webpage), Anandtech [1] (A Sneak Peek at the Xe-HPG GPU Architecture), [2] (Alder Lake, Golden Cove, and Gracemont Detailed), and Techspot (XeSS Information)

This week Intel has been sharing a lot of information on future products at its Architecture Day 2021, including its upcoming discrete GPUs to challenge AMD's and NVIDIA's duopoly, and the Alder Lake CPU with hybrid architecture. Starting with the GPUs, Intel has decided to brand this product line as Arc, not to be confused with Ark, the company's database for all of its processor specifications. This brand name will cover the consumer hardware as well as related software and services. While we can expect more information on the products this year, unfortunately the release of these X^e HPG graphics cards will not be until Q1 2022.

In addition to the Arc branding, we also have the first codenames for the GPUs, with DG2 being renamed Alchemist. Its successors will be Battlemage, Celestial, and Druid and while its names certainly invoke high fantasy games, they are also alphabetical so we can all have some fun guessing new code names for future letters. All of the Arc GPUs will support the DirectX 12 Ultimate features, including accelerated ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders.

The Anandtech article provides more information than the Intel press release, such as the introduction of the X^e Core and Render Slice. The Cores consist of 16 vector engines that can process 256 bits per cycle and 16 Matrix Engines that can handle 1024 bits per cycle that are paired with the appropriate caches, and possibly some other specialized math processors. These Matrix Engines are likely analogous to NVIDIA's Tensor Cores, but interestingly as the Anandtech article points out, these Matrix Engines could offer twice the throughput as the Tensor Cores, though the described vector throughput would match NVIDIA's Ampere architecture. It is that vector math capability that is most important to gaming though, so how this decision turns out in the end could be quite interesting.

Above the X^e Cores is the Render Slice, with four cores along with a Ray Tracing Unit and texture sampler per Core, frontends for geometry, rasterization, and two pixel backends making up one Slice. The way the RT Units work may prove interesting as NVIDIA and AMD have taken different approaches on where to focus accelerating the ray tracing workload, which has an impact on performance and optimization potential. The Alchemist GPU will consist of eight Render Slices with a memory fabric connecting them, and that fabric containing an L2 cache.

The Alchemist GPUs will be built on TSMC's N6 process, which is an improved version of the N7 process AMD has been using for its latest CPUs and GPUs. One of the differences between these two processes is the replacement of additional DUV layers with EUV, though without changing design rules or tools. Performance between N6 and N7 should be very similar, but N6 is simpler to work with and offers somewhat higher densities as well.

Also shared, though I have had a hard time finding an Intel press release or similar on it, was information on XeSS, the AI-assisted super-sampling technology to compete with NVIDIA's DLSS and AMD's FSR. Of those two already available technologies, XeSS appears to be more similar to DLSS in function as it will also apply AI to assist in upscaling and uses temporal super samples. However, it is also like FSR as it will work on non-Intel GPUs, provided they support DP4a instructions, and will be open source. The way it will work is to first apply a jitter to the scenes so sampling positions are not always at the center of each pixel, collect multiple frames to then feed into its AI-assisted upscaling system, ultimately producing a final image. On Arc GPUs it will use Xe Matrix Extension (XMX) cores to accelerate the AI work, but GPUs lacking these but with the previously mentioned DP4a instructions will still be able to run the upscaling system. The Arc GPUs should be faster, but it is not a vendor-locked technology. It will be interesting to see how AMD and NVIDIA may respond to this, as well as the larger video game industry as both this and FSR can be enabled for a wide variety of GPUs.

Turning to the CPU news now, Intel has shared the first in-depth look at Alder Lake, the company's first performance hybrid architecture. For quite some time now, mobile devices have been utilizing a hybrid design that pairs high performance cores with high efficiency cores. Much like boosting technologies on CPUs, the idea is to activate the high performance cores that drain more power when the task demands that extra performance or will be done fast enough to save on power, while running other tasks on the high efficiency cores to reduce power usage. The Performance or P-core architecture in Alder Lake is named Golden Cove while the Efficiency or E-core architecture is named Gracemont. Besides their power-performance profiles, a difference between these is the P-cores offer multithreading while the E-cores do not. The designs targeting different markets will each use eight E-cores that will be combined with two P-cores for low power mobile designs, six P-cores for higher performance mobile designs, and eight P-cores for the desktop market.

According to Intel, the Gracemont microarchitecture can provide40% greater single-threaded performance at the same power as the Skylake architecture, or the same performance at 40% less power. Four E-cores combined offer 80% more performance while taking less power than just two Skylake cores. The Golden Cove P-cores offer about 19% more performance over the current Cypress Cove architecture of 11^th Gen processors, when run at the same frequency. These P-cores also feature the new Advanced Matrix Extensions, AMX to increase matrix multiplication significant, an important upgrade for work in machine learning.

Though I compared the hybrid design to traditional boosting earlier, the two are quite difference technologies and a hybrid architecture is much more complex as logic is required to place tasks onto the appropriate cores. To that end, Intel has created its Thread Director to work with the operating system so the correct core is used from the start, so no time is wasted moving a task. By working with Microsoft, the Windows 11 thread scheduler will be able to make its decisions based on more information than the Windows 10 scheduler has. For example, the new scheduler can understand performance modes, instruction sets, as well as a notion of priority, so tasks that need more performance can bump others off of threads. Anandtech lists the performance levels from Intel as starting with loading the P-cores first, then all of the E-cores before the logical/SMT threads of the P-cores. The Intel Thread Director will be an embedded microcontroller that will feed information from the CPU back to Windows 11 to suggest it move threads as is appropriately.

Besides the hybrid architecture and new core designs, Alder Lake will also support DDR5 at 4800 MT/s, DDR4 3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4X-4266, allowing it to work in a variety of platforms. It will also support PCIe 5.0 with 16 lanes and four lanes of PCIe 4.0 from the CPU while the chipset will offer 12 lanes of PCIe 4.0 and 16 of PCIe 3.0. Alder Lake-based products are to be shipping later this year.

August 18, 2021

Permalink for 'Fractal Design Releasing new Torrent Case, Prisma Fans, and Ion+ 2 PSU'

9:27

Fractal Design Releasing new Torrent Case, Prisma Fans, and Ion+ 2 PSU

Fractal Design has been busy as it is releasing four new products; a high airflow case, two 180 mm fans for when you really want to move some air, and new Ion+ 2 Platinum PSU. The best part is Chris has had hands-on time and produced videos for you to see what he thinks of them.

The new case is the Torrent and it sports a pair of the new 180 mm fans at the front pulling air in, and there are another three 140 mm fans, all PWM controlled. If that is, somehow, not enough airflow, two of the 140 mm fans can be replaced with 180 mm fans. The front and bottom intakes can both use included nylon filters to keep out dust, or increase airflow if you choose to remove them. The Torrent comes with the Nexus 9P Slim PWM fan hub already installed to help manage them and the LEDs in the case and fans can be controlled with motherboards offering a 3-pin 5 V RGB header. The case also includes a GPU support bracket to keep your graphics card level, with some user assembly required.

For those wondering about watercooling support, the front and bottom panels can house extra-thick radiators up to 420 mm long and with a push-pull fan configuration. The motherboard tray also has integrated support for a water-cooling reservoir. Speaking of the motherboard, the case can hold up to E-ATX and SSI-EEB boards for even the most massive and feature-rich builds. The maximum length for a graphics card is 423 mm with the front fan installed or 461 mm without it. Another advantage separate from airflow with having 180 mm fans is the case is wide enough to allow for a CPU cooler as tall as 188 mm, if your preference is for air coolers. As for storage capabilities, there are four 2.5 in drive mounts and two 3.5 in drive mounts, all included with the case. The front panel sports one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port and a pair of USB 3.0 ports, along with the standard HD audio connections.

There are multiple versions of the Torrent, available in black, gray, white, and with different fans installed. The pricing ranges from $179.99 for the Torrent Black Solid to $239.99 for the Black RGB TG (tempered glass) Light Tint. The TG versions also have an aerodynamic PSU shroud with integrated ARGB effects. You can check out Chris' video on the case here: Check out the new Torrent from Fractal Design!.

The two new 180 mm fans are the Dynamic and Prisma with the latter featuring RGB LEDs. These are the new 180 mm fans used in the Torrent and are 38 mm thick, all designed to optimize airflow without letting noise go out of control. Though included with the Torrent, these will be available separately for those wanting to upgrade the fans in that case or have another that feature the 165 x 165 mm screw hole pattern. To help keep them quiet, the corners are synthetic rubber to reduce vibrations and the long-life sleeve bearing should keep the fan spinning for a long time. Chris' video on the Prisma fans is right here: OCC checks out the new Prisma AL-18 PWM ARGB 180mm fans!.

Lastly we have the Ion+ 2 Platinum fully modular power supply that was designed to build upon the success of the original Ion Platinum. Among the changes that arrived with this new version is ATX 2.52 support, the inclusion of two 8-pin ATX12/EPS connections for the family of products, and stricter over-current protection within the PSU. It also features a semi-passive mode so the 140 mm fan stops when the load is low enough. Chris got to look at the 860 W version here: OCC checks out the new Ion+ 2 860W Power Supply from Fractal Design!. There are also 760 W, 660 W, and 560 W versions, if your power needs are more modest.

Source: Fractal Design

August 13, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 9, 2021'

10:47

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 9, 2021

Another week has reached its end and so it is time to go through the various pieces of video game news from the week. Starting things off is some news from 2K as Borderlands 3 is turning two in a month and to celebrate it has begun five weeks of Loot the Universe mini-event series. Each week a different planet in the game will see its drops improved, including having an increased chance at certain legendary items in certain zones. For this first week, Pandora is the planet, followed by Promethea, then Eden-6, and lastly Nekrotafeyo. Following the last planet ending its Loot the Universe event at September 9, 9 AM PT, the Mayhem Made Wild and Show Me the Eridium mini-events will begin and also run for one week. September 13, the anniversary of the game's launch will see even more happen on it, but the plans are being kept a surprise for now.

Source: 2K (Borderlands 3)

Windjammers 2 is an evolution of the classic arcade game coming from Dotemu and this week the publisher and developer announced the title is not only coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in addition to PC, Nintendo Switch, and google Stadia, but also the start of an open beta on the PC and two PlayStation consoles. This open beta has already started and is going until August 22 with Steam players able to compete against it each while PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 gamers can go head to head. To help new players get a handle on how to play, a new trailer featuring the returning character Gary Scott goes through the mechanics and deeper strategies of the game. We do not have a release date for the game just yet.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Windjammers 2)

Back in June, Going Medieval released to Early Access, allowing players to get started building a settlement with survivors of the Dark Age. This week it received its first major update with version 0.5.31.8 that adds a number of fixes, improvements, and content such as shelves and racks. With these new pieces of furniture, players have more ways to store their resources, something that was so requested the developers apparently moved up releasing it. Shelves can be used to store food, textiles, and/or medicine, while bookshelves and weapon racks are more restricted. Armor racks and chests are a bit further into the research tree, but have also been added. Stockpile management has also been improved as now each stockpile can been given a priority and its settings can be copied and pasted onto others. Resource piles have also been optimized, addressing some memory leak issues that could significantly hurt performance. New options for map sizes have also been added, with the original 190x190 size now the smallest. A medium map is 220x220 and large is 250x250. A 320x320 map had been available in an experimental branch, but that has been removed because settlers can start to starve just from trying to cross the map. The developers state in the release notes that larger maps are possible, but will require significant changes to settler behavior.

There have been many other changes made with this update, which you can find and read about in the patch notes linked to below, but developer Foxy Voxel has also prepared a video showcasing the update as well.

Source: Press Release (The Irregular Corporation – Going Medieval) and Steam (Patch Notes)

Koch Media and Retro Games have announced THEA500 Mini, recreation of the classic console that, like other classic consoles, will come with 25 games. The inspiration for this is the Amiga 500 from 1987 that featured a 16/32 bit CPU paired with 512 KB of RAM, but the hardware will be able to emulate not only the original components but also the Enhanced Ship Set of later revisions and the Advanced Graphics Architecture of the A1200. For controls, it will come with an eight-button gamepad and two-button mouse matching the original style of the Amiga, but you can connect a standard keyboard for added functionality.

Of the 25 games THEA500 Mini will come with, 12 have been identified already: Alien Breed 3D; Another World; ATR: All Terrain Racing; Battle Chess; Cadaver; Kick Off 2; Pinball Dreams; Simon The Sorcerer; Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe; The Chaos Engine; Worms: The Director's Cut; and Zool: Ninja Of The 'nth Dimension. If that is not enough for you, the unit will support having side-loading games from USB drives with full WHDLoad support.

THEA500 Mini is expected to go on sale in early 2022 with an MSRP of $139.99.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – THEA500 Mini)

Also announced by Koch Media this week is the presence of Clid the Snail from developers Weird Beluga at gamescom 2021. In this top-down shooter, players will be tasked with defeating slugs that have been plaguing the world, and keeping Clid from his drink at the bar. Fortunately he has plenty of weapons to help him get the task done, all while showing off how fast, deadly, and how much a badass he is. gamescom 2021 starts its digital events on August 25 and continues until Friday 27.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media – Clid the Snail)

Finishing this off with a piece of non-game news as TerraMaster announced a new storage server targeting businesses wanting their own cloud storage. The U12 Series sports a quad-core Intel Xeon paired with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM that can be upgraded to 64 GB. It also has two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots so you can add 10 GbE NIC or RAID cards to fit your purpose, though the specifications only list them as x8. It already has four 1 Gb network connections in addition to its four USB ports, two being USB 3.0 and two being USB 2.0. With its link aggregation feature, load will be balanced between the network links and if one fails, service will not be interrupted.

As the name suggests, the server can hold up to twelve 2.5 in or 3.5 in drives, and with SSD caching support, you can install larger if slower HDDs while SSDs improve the response of accessing data. It also has a host of security features, including AES256 disk encryption to keep your data safe even if the drives are stolen.

As the U12 Series is aimed at businesses, it has an MSRP targeting businesses as well, at $3499.

Source: TerraMaster [1] (U12 Series Announcement) and [2] (U12 Series Product Page)

August 06, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 2, 2021'

14:04

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of August 2, 2021

I hope everyone's week has gone well and this Friday ends it well as it is time to go through the different press releases that have collected. The first one is actually not video game related as it is time sensitive. EK has begun its Summer 2021 sale so you can find discounts across the company's variety of custom liquid cooling products. IT does not appear its AIOs are on sale, but for a limited time customers in the US and EU will receive free shipping on those. I do not see when the free shipping expires but the Summer sale runs until August 31 so you do have time to decide on what parts you need.

Source: EK Water Blocks (Summer Sale Page)

Embracer Group has continued its strategy of acquiring various developers with the announcement of eight acquisitions this week. The highlight of that list is almost certainly 3D Realms, a company once known as Apogee Software before rebranding and since 2014 it has taken on a publisher role with six games in the pipeline. This acquisition actually closed on July and is under Saber Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Embracer Group. The other seven acquisitions are of CrazyLabs, Digixart, Easy Trigger, Force Field, Ghost Ship Games, Grimfrost, and Slipgate Ironworks. The total value of these acquisitions is about SEK 2.7 billion on a cash and debt-free basis, according to a regulatory press release.

Source: Embracer Group [1] (Regulatory Press Release) , [2] (3D Realms), [3] (CrazyLabs), [4] (Digixart), [5] (Easy Trigger), [6] (Force Field), [7] (Ghost Ship Games), [8] (Grimfrost), and [9] (Slipgate Ironworks)

Embracer Group is not the only video game company making acquisitions as Focus Home Interactive announced its agreement to purchase 77.5% of Dotemu, a developer and publisher known for retro games on PC, console, and mobile platforms. This also means The Arcade Crew, a publishing label under Dotemu for independent games has been acquired as well. Focus Home Interactive is interested in growing is ability to develop indie games, such as Dark Devotion and The Last Spell (Early Access), both published by The Arcade Crew.

With all of these acquisitions, it will be interesting to see what comes in the future as these various teams have access to new resources and talent, thanks to joining the larger families.

Source: Focus Home Interactive (Dotemu Acquisition)

Rebellion has announced the finale of Zombie Army 4's Season 3 storyline is Return to Hell, bringing Alpha Squad back to the underworld. The mission is to recover the manifestation of Schweiger's mind to free him from Baron Umbra. This campaign mission is part of the Season Pass 3 but can also be purchased separately for $6.99.

The new mission is not the only thing that has arrived for Zombie Army 4 as the Left 4 Dead 2 survivors, Coach, Ellis, Nick, and Rochelle are now also available to play as in the game. Unlike the mission, this DLC character pack is free for all players.

Square Enix has released a cinematic for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy featuring an encounter with the titular team and Lady Hellbender, the leader of the Hellraisers, queen of Seknarf Nine, and a notorious monster collector. The team has come to offer her a new item for her collection, but they are not the first to do so that day as they watch another try to sell her a creature called a Tara-tara. That deal goes a little differently than might have been planned by the seller and showed Lady Hellbender in a different light than the Guardians probably expected as well, but you can watch the video to see all of that. It also demonstrates the humor written into the game's original story as Drax draws the queen's attention.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is to release on October 26.

Source: Square Enix (Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy)

Galactic Civilizations III has received its v4.2 update this week, which focuses on balancing many of the space-based 4X game's elements, including planet classes, requirements for Starbase modules, and more. Part of what made this update possible was the sharing of feedback and save files from the community with the developers. This made it possible to track down some of the more specific balance issues that can be hard to find otherwise. You can follow the source link for the patch notes, which are relatively long. In addition to the tweaks already mentioned, the player counts for the different map sizes has increased along with the number of habitable planets for those sizes, and AI has been tweaked to be more generous with tech trading.

Source: Stardock (Galactic Civilizations III)

Lastly, Ubisoft has announced the open beta for Riders Republic will be from August 23 to the 25. You can register for it now for a chance to play the game on PC through Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games Store, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, or PlayStation 5. The title features an open world of outdoor sports from biking and skiing to wing and even rocket wing suiting. For the beta players will get to play alone or with friends through the Bike Races, Snow Tricks, and Air Sports campaigns, or take part in various multiplayer modes such as Mass Races, Tricks Battle and Free for All.

The full game releases on October 28 for the same platforms the beta will be on as well as Google Stadia and Amazon Luna.

Source: Ubisoft (Riders Republic)

July 30, 2021

Permalink for 'AMD Announces Radeon RX 6600XT, Reveals Q2 Results, and Intel Shares Roadmap News'

14:16

AMD Announces Radeon RX 6600XT, Reveals Q2 Results, and Intel Shares Roadmap News

This week has had more than just gaming news, and with the significance of these announcements, I thought it appropriate to share a separate news item for them than placing the information at the bottom of the gaming news item.

Going in alphabetical order, AMD announced the Radeon RX 6600XT this week, targeting high-frame rate 1080p gaming. It uses the RDNA 2 architecture like the rest of the RX 6000 series but is a smaller chip, offering only 32 MB of Infinity Cache. For VRAM it has 8 GB of GDDR6 connected on a 128 bit interface. AMD is claiming the GPU with its 32 Compute Units, 2589 MHz maximum boost clock and 2359 MHz Game Clock enables it to be 15% faster, on average, with maximum settings compared to the RTX 3060. Its total board power is stated as starting at 160 W, which should translate to a single 8-pin connector as that provides 150 W and the PCIe slot can provide 75 W, though we will have to see what the AIB partners put together.

AMD expects ASRock, Asus, Biostar, Gigabyte, MSI, PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX, and Yeston to have cards available on August 11. The suggested price is $379, but considering the current state of the GPU market, we will just have to see if any actually sell at that.

Source: AMD [1] (Radeon RX 6600XT)

This week AMD also shared its Q2 financial results and with that information it is not too surprising that the stock price reached a new maximum of over $100 a share. According to the results, the year-over-year increase to Q2 revenue was 99% and gross profit increased 116%. The company clearly had an excellent second quarter this year and the expectation is now to achieve 60% year-over-year annual revenue growth thanks to "strong execution and increased customer preference" for AMD's products. I recognize financial information might not be of particular interest, but it is a rather significant achievement considering six years ago AMD stock was valued at under $2. Of course Intel has not been having the best six years, but it is working on changing that.

Source: AMD [2] (Q2 2021 Financial Results)

Intel revealed this week its roadmap for its future process and packaging technologies that will power its products through 2025 and beyond. Among these new technologies is RibbonFET, a gate-all-around transistor design that should enable faster switching speeds while taking up less space compared to the current FinFET design. While the FinFET design has the transistor gate crossing over the channel, producing a 3D design that surpassed traditional planar CMOS designs prior to it. With RibbonFET the channels or ribbons are completed surrounded by the gate, increasing the effectiveness of the gate without increasing the footprint involved.

Also on the roadmap is PowerVia which significantly changes the design for power delivery in a processor. Instead of having the power routing on the front side of the wafer, along with the various wires connecting the caches, buffers, and accelerators, this design places the power on the backside of the wafer. This should improve signal transmission by reducing the interference from the power flowing so near the data signals.

Intel also announced it will be the first to receive a High Numerical Aperture EUV production tool from ASML, which has the potential to push beyond some of the boundaries of current EUV production tools. As is explained in the Anandtech article linked to below, this will increase the power of the laser used for the etching process, which in turn improves the accuracy of the printed lines. Increasing the patterning can achieve this effect as well, but at the cost of yields so this solution would allow single-patterning to continue for longer.

The company has also renamed its process nodes to be Intel 7 for the current process that will produce Alder Lake this year, Intel 4, entering production H2 2022, Intel 3, H2 2023, Intel 20A, 2024, and then Intel 18A in early 2025. It is worth noting Intel has dropped the nanometer unit from these marketing names, though the A implies angstroms (one order of magnitude smaller than nanometers), and this does make some sense as these are not accurate physical measurements. That is true for other manufacturers as well, with 7 nm processes not necessarily producing features that small, but rather they are an improvement over the previous technology.

For packaging technologies, Intel announced Foveros Omni and Foveros Direct that are both rather significant. With Foveros Omni, Intel is claiming unbounded flexibility by allowing die disaggregation as top and base die tiles can be mixed across nodes and the top tiles can even be wider than the base tiles. Normally you would expect the top to be as large or smaller than the base, but this technology allows copper columns to be built up, connecting the top dies directly to the substrate without vias through the base die. Foveros Direct is copper-to-copper bonding, effectively directly connecting two dies and it enables sub-10 micron bump pitches. If this sounds familiar, TSMC has its own Chip-on-Wafer or Wafer-on-Wafer method that similarly stacks dies together, but regardless of the company it is an interesting and impressive technology, especially as companies move towards multi-chip designs.

Source: Intel (Process and Packaging Roadmap) and Anandtech

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of July 26, 2021'

10:56

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of July 26, 2021

It is Friday once again, making it time to cover some video games news but this week has been relatively calm in that respect with only a handful of items. First up is an update from 1047 Games as it has decided to delay the launch of Splitgate by two weeks. The reason is actually somewhat positive though, as the studio was so overwhelmed by the open beta seeing 2 million players download it, and so this extra time is to reinforce the servers. The new release date is August 10 for this free-to-play game and it is coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

The open beta is remaining open during this time, and on Tuesday, the game's original release date, it received an update adding some of what was planned for that release. Also, the venture firm Human Capital that invests in startups to help scale up engineering teams has infused the studio with $10 million to help with the current challenges and those that will come in the future.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games – Splitgate)

A new trailer has been shared for Hot Wheels Unleashed this week, featuring more of the 66 cars that will be available at launch for players to race on the iconic orange tracks. These new cars include some entertainment IP vehicles such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party Wagon, Snoopy, K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, and the DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future, and a Batmobile. There is also a list of original manufacture cars from the Humvee and 1956 Ford Truck to the Mini cooper S Challenge and Audi Sport Quattro. With the game's Rarity System players will be able to collect and dismantle vehicles to gain upgrades for others. Some of these upgrades can only be found in unique and secret ways as well.

Hot Wheels Unleashed from Mattel and Milestone will be releasing on September 30 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media - Hot Wheels Unleashed)

Encased is an upcoming title from publisher Prime Matter and developer Dark Crystal Games, and today its release date was revealed. Players will get to enter the hostile and enigmatic Dome of an alternate 1976 on September 7. You get to start this RPG with one of five disciplines that will determine various skills, specializations, and open or close certain dialogue options as you explore the dystopic sci-fi environment. Within the Dome are six different factions and you will need to decide who shall be your friends, and who your enemies.

The game is already available in Early Access and at release will be on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.

Source: Prime Matter (Encased)

There are a couple announcements this week concerning Marvel's Avengers from Square Enix as it has received a free update and the release date for its upcoming Black Panther – War for Wakanda DLC has been revealed. The update adds the first end-game challenge, the Omega-Level Threat: Family Reunion. These missions require four-player teams at a power level of 145, though the game's maximum level of 150 is recommended. Omega-Level Threats can be repeated freely, but the best gear is awarded only once per week.

Also part of the free update was the ability of running existing Mega Hive missions with other players and multiple-heroes feature that was introduced in the Tachyon Anomaly April event has been made permanent. The latter allows teams to be formed with multiple of the same hero for any mission.

Black Panther – War for Wakanda will launch on August 17 as a free update for all owners of the core game. Besides adding Black Panther to the roster of heroes, two new villains arrive as well, a new environment, and more.

Celebrating this announcement, Marvel's Avengers is free to play over this weekend on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Google Stadia. There are several promotions going on during the weekend as well, including a 400% bonus to experience, a 50% sale in the in-game marketplace, and the Tachyon Anomaly event returns as well. The game itself is on sale at 40% off as well, for those who decide they want to continue the experience past August 1.

Source: Square Enix [1] (Marvel's Avengers – Omega-Level Threat) and [2] (Marvel's Avengers – War for Wakanda)

Lastly, Ubisoft has shared the release date for Assassin's Creed Valhalla's second expansion, The Siege of Paris, is August 12. Players will be able to take Eivor to France to conquer new lands, fight new enemies, and forge new alliances. You will also find new weapons, abilities, gear, and skills to help you hunt the new enemy types and take on Infiltration Missions. These missions are derived from the fan favorite Black Box Missions of prior games in the series where you are given a target and allowed to eliminate them as you wish. The expansion is included as part of the Season Pass and can be purchased separately for $24.99.

Additionally, Season 3, Sigrblot Season has begun in the game with its accompanying festival going until August 19. This content is available to all players, allowing everyone to celebrate the start of the Raiding season. There are three new quests to do, exclusive rewards including weapons, and new opportunities for flyting, fighting, and playing the dice mini-game.

Source: Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed Valhalla)

July 23, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of July 19, 2021'

12:06

Various Video Game Stories and More from the Week of July 19, 2021

Once again it is time to go through the various press releases from the week, but there are also three non-gaming related items at the end from ARM, TerraMaster, and the University of Washington I think you may find interesting. Starting this week off, however, is some news from HandyGames that has started a special Steam event. The German Flood Relief event on Steam will see 20% of every purchase go to Aktion Deutschland Hilft, a German relief coalition that is helping the victims of the flooding in Germany. HandyGames is doing this along with the studios Massive Miniteam, Paintbucket Games, and Honig Studios, the developers behind Spitlings, Through the Darkest of Times, and El Hijo – A Wild West Tale. More than those three games are included in the event with the total actually at 37 games and 5 DLC. The link to the Steam event is below if you want to check out the complete list.

Source: German Flood Relief Event on Steam and HandyGames

1047 Games is the studio behind Splitgate that recently began its open Beta and was so popular, it has been extended. In the first six days over 600,000 new players downloaded the title that mixes fast-paced FPS combat with portal gameplay. The 1.0 release of the game is coming on July 27 and will add new content as well as crossplay across PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. With the beta having produced over 15,000 "Very Positive" reviews on Steam and pushing to an average of 94%, it may be worth giving this free-to-play experience a try during the beta or at full release.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games – Splitgate)

Turning to Dear Villagers now, developer Phigames next title, Recompile has had its release date announced as August 19. It is a hack'n'shoot'em up set within a digital world where you will not only need to leap around and attack at your enemies to survive, but also apply environmental physics-based hacking to succeed at the intense combat. As you play as a rogue piece of semi-sentient code within the Mainframe, you will be faced with many decisions that will determine which of the multiple endings you receive. You can repair systems, recover lost data, and hack or destroy your enemies, all with the ultimate goal of finding the truth behind the Hypervisor and the Mainframe's original purpose.

When Recompile releases on August 19, it will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 with the PC version priced at $19.9 and the console version at $24.99.

Source: Modus Games (Recompile)

This week EA held its Play Live 2021 event and made a few announcements, with possibly the most interesting being the return of Dead Space. The classic sci-fi, survival-horror title is being rebuilt from the ground up and will be powered by the Frostbite engine to take advantage of the power of PCs and next generation consoles. The original game brought players to the USG Ishimura in 2008 and left a mark on the horror genre, but many things have changed over time. With this new version, we can expect an improved story, characters, gameplay mechanics, and more along with enhanced graphics and audio to make the experience all the more immersive. Hopefully these updates will not change the nightmarish substance of the original that made it the success. The official teaser trailer is behind an age-gate, but you can find it here: Dead Space Official Teaser Trailer – EA Play Live 2021.

Source: EA [1] (Dead Space remake)

Also revealed at EA Play Live 2021 was GRID Legends, an upcoming title from Codemasters. The game is set to combine motorsport action with race variety and an immersive story to pull players in. Players will also be able to build their own races with the race creator and select mixed-class vehicle across all of the circuits. An aspect of it will be the players' position in the middle of a fly-on-the-wall documentary capturing moments on and off the track highlighting the fierce personality and internal politics to the various teams.

GRID Legends is targeting a 2022 release for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: EA [2] (GRID Legends)

Another announcement was for Lost in Random, described as a gothic fairytale-inspired action adventure game where you enter the Kingdom of Random. You play as Even, a young girl trying to rescue her sister, Odd, from Her Majesty, the Queen of Random. Helping her is Dicey, a small and strange living dice that, once charged in combat, can be used to freeze time to unleash powerful magic against your foes. It is set to launch on September 10 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: EA [3] (Lost in Random)

Rounding out the video game news is the announcement from Ubisoft of Tom Clancy's XDefiant, a free-to-play competitive shooter coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Ubisoft Connect, Amazon Luna, and Google Stadia. At launch, full cross-play will be available.

The roster of XDefiant will include characters from across multiple Tom Clancy franchises, including the Wolves of Ghost Recon, Echelon of Splinter Cell, and both the Outcasts and Cleaners of The Division, which will all be present at launch. For game modes that will be 6v6 arena battles as well as objective-based modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Escort.

The first test for XDefiant begins on August 5 and you can sign up for access at playxdefiant.com.

Source: Ubisoft (XDefiant)

Now for the non-gaming news, starting with a piece from Arm as it has successfully created a plastic processor with PragmatIC. The work on this flexible processor actually started in 2013 by working on prototype circuits such as ring oscillators, counters, and shift register arrays. The first PlasticArm was shown off in 2015, but only know have fabrication limitations been overcome to the point of making a fully working part possible. This took time and continued work on other projects to build up the knowledge and experience necessary for so the first non-silicon Arm processor to be produced on October 27, 2020. This PlasticArm processor is an ultra-minimalist Cortex M0-based SoC with only 128 Bytes of RAM and 456 B of ROM (bytes, not megabytes or kilobytes), but is still twelve times more complex than the previous state-of-the-art for flexible electronics.

As for potential use cases, there are many as a plastic processor will be naturally flexible and possibly less expensive than traditional silicon designs. This can make such technology ideal for many Internet-of-Things objects while also having significant potential in healthcare, such as making intelligent bandages. It might not be able to compete with the latest silicon processors for performance, but being able to go where other devices cannot is very significant. Also, like many technologies, now that it has been created, I suspect future development will continue at an accelerated pace.

Source: Arm

Have another piece of news from TerraMaster, with this new piece of professional storage targeting content creators who need speed and a lot of capacity. The D16 Thunderbolt 3 offers sixteen 3.5 in bays that can support HDDs or 2.5 in SSDs, all connected over Thunderbolt 3 for a 40 Gbps transfer speed. With 16 SSDs in RAID 0, it can offer speeds of up to 2817 MB/s while RAID 6 enables up to 2480 MB/s. It also supports RAID 0, 1, 50, and 10 as well as JBOD arrays to satisfy your needs. If your need is for tremendous capacity rather than speed, it can support up to 288 TB by installing sixteen 18 TB HDDs, but that is just for one unit as you can daisy chain six of them together for up to one Petabyte of storage. Keeping it all cool are smart fans that will also keep the unit quiet as you work.

TerraMaster has the D16 Thunderbolt 3 priced at $3599.

Source: TerraMaster [1] (D16 Press Release) and [2] (D16 Product Page)

Lastly, a piece of research news I thought was too interesting to not share as the University of Washington has found a new use for GPUs; controlling fusion reactors. Nuclear fusion takes a tremendous amount of energy to achieve as temperatures must reach 150 million ºC, and that also means there are many teams working on many methods to achieve ignition, when the amount of energy produced is more than the amount spent to trigger fusion. The method being used in the University of Washington's prototype reactor is rather different than others that try to keep the high temperature plasmas static. With the tremendous amount of energy and speed within these plasmas for nuclear fusion, it can be difficult to control them, hence the desire for a static system, but the Washington researchers are instead allowing the complex dynamics of plasma to continue. This can enable the reactor to be smaller and cheaper, but makes controlling the plasma and the magnetic fields created within it more difficult.

This is where the GPUs come in, as the researchers found an NVIDIA Tesla GPU designed for machine learning affords a far greater amount of computing power than they had access to before. This enables the team the ability to fine-tune the plasmas as they enter the reactor, and also get a better idea of how they form. Additionally, more algorithms can be tried for manipulating the plasma. This work can lead to the knowledge necessary for longer-lived plasmas and ultimately controlled fusion power.

Source: University of Washington

July 20, 2021

Permalink for 'TerraMaster Launching F4-421 Professional NAS with 4 Core Intel CPU'

14:30

TerraMaster Launching F4-421 Professional NAS with 4 Core Intel CPU

TerraMaster has recently announced a new four-bay NAS targeting professionals with its collection of features The F4-421 supports AES-256 hardware encryption for data security as well as the snapshot technology of the Btrfs file system, making it easy to prevent data corruption without significant maintenance cost. Every shared folder will have 512 snapshots generated for it and there can be up to 8192 overall system snapshots as well, but data recovery occurs at the file or folder level, making the process flexible and efficient. The NAS also features protections against network attacks with its support of SSL encryption, firewalls, Anti-DoS means, and advanced account protection. With the TNAS mobile app, a special security mode can be activated as well.

As far as hardware support goes, the F4-421 has four bays and they can be installed in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD, or SINGLE, to meet whatever your needs are. Powering it is an Intel Apollo quad-core processor with a base clock of 1.5 GHz and boost up to 2.3 GHz. This CPU is paired with 4 GB of DDR3 that can be upgraded to 8 GB by adding another 4 GB stick. That is sufficient for live transcoding of up to two 4K videos, and it can serve as multimedia storage for smart TVs, digital media players, and naturally smartphones and computers. Connecting the NAS to a network is two 1 GbE ports, capable of providing up to 118 MB/s with network aggregation, and if one port fails it will automatically change over to the other. With the TNAS app, it will be possible to connect through customizable addresses on any computer running Windows, Mac, or Linux, and any mobile device. There are also two USB 3.0 ports alongside the Ethernet ports.

With this combination of features, TerraMaster describes it as being ideal for use in a small office or home office, as it can offer both multimedia storage for a network as well as reliable secure data storage for those that need their files protected. There can also be up to 500 concurrent users and access rights can be set by user, user group, and folder. TerraMaster has price the F4-421 at $459 in its diskless configuration and it has a 2-year warranty.

Source: TerraMaster

July 16, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of July 12, 2021'

12:46

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of July 12, 2021

Another week comes to its close, and so it is time to go through the various press releases and other news that has collected. Starting things off is some news from 1047 Games, the studio behind Splitgate, a title that combines portal-gameplay with fast-paced FPS, as a new trailer was released featuring three new maps and its open beta has begun, ahead of its July 27 launch. The new maps are Crag, Forgone Destruction, and Impact, and success will rely on familiarity with them. Remember, with the use of portals long distances can be quickly shortened, and there is increased risk of flanking, making movement and awareness critical.

If this sounds intriguing or the trailer player looks interesting to you, you can find the open beta on Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The beta is free to play as will be the release game on its July 27 launch, so feel free to jump in and try the action out for yourself.

Source: Press Release (1047 Games â Splitgate)

Death's Door from Devolver Digital and Acid Nerve is launching next week on July 20, so a new gameplay trailer has been shared, showing off what it can take for a Crow to reap souls. Of course your mission is a little more involved as the soul you were assigned was stolen, requiring you to enter realms untouched by death to get it back. The creatures living in these realms have grown immensely in greed and power as time has passed, but you will be able to wield various weapons and magic to overcome them, while investing in character stats and mastering your abilities will strengthen you for the next time.

Death's Door is releasing for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 20.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital â Death's Door)

Also being published by Devolver Digital is Weird West from WolfEye Studios, which we now know is targeting a Fall 2021 release. Celebrating this release window announcement, a new trailer has been shared, featuring the Five Journeys of the game's unusual heroes. Set in a dark fantasy version of the Wild West, players will get to experience the origin stories for the heroes as they survive this frontier containing fantastical creatures. When it releases later this year, Weird West will be on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital â Weird West)

Coming to Koch Media now, its label Ravenscourt and developer DESTINYbit have announced the release date for Dice Legacy and shared a new gameplay trailer for this blend of city building and tabletop. Set on a ringworld, you must build a settlement and expand it with your people who each come with a die. From the roll of the die, you can assign their roles to build and strengthen the settlement. Rolling the dice for different outcomes reduces their durability though, causing them to perish. Locking dice will prevent them from rolling, and durability can be restored, both adding to the necessary management for successfully surviving. With the right buildings, dice can be upgraded and open new possibilities.

It is certainly a curious combination of mechanics and now we know we have only to wait until September 9 to find out. When it launches it will be available on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store for PC players, and on the Nintendo Switch.

Source: Koch Media [1] (Dice Legacy)

Another upcoming game being published under Koch Media is Hot Wheels Unleashed and two trailers have been released, both focusing on its Track Builder. Previously we have seen trailers featuring different locations, but now we are getting to see the capabilities players will have to create their own courses with the iconic orange track pieces. Embedded below is the trailer for the feature, but if you want a deep dive into how it works, you can check out this Track Builder Walkthrough.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is scheduled to release on September 30 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Koch Media [2] (Hot Wheels Unleashed)

Modus Games is publishing In Sound Mind by We Create Stuff and shared a couple things recently. One is an animated music video for the game from cartoon animator Mashed and musical sensation The Living Tombstone that features the dangers awaiting players. The other bit of news may be disappointing to some as its launch has been moved to September 28 with the Nintendo Switch version coming later. If you cannot wait for the first-person horror experience of entering into the minds of others, there is a demo on Steam you can try today.

Source: Press Release (Modus Games â In Sound Mind)

Those interested in Hunt: Showdown should be happy to learn a new map has arrived on the game's test servers. This news from publishing label Prime Matter and developed Crytek was accompanied by the trailer embedded below, showing off this first map to launch in three years. Named DeSalle, the map has an Autumn theme and 16 distinct areas across its two decayed Wild West towns, mountains, industrial, and farming regions. It also features a new enemy in the Miner Grunt with helmet lights that will blind you. On the test server now, it is expected to move to the live servers for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 later this Summer.

Source: Prime Matter (Hunt: Showdown)

Rebellion has released two new DLC for Evil Genius 2: World Domination, with the free one adding Team Fortress 2's Pyro as a henchman, for those of you that want to watch the world burn, or conquer it. Obviously friendly fire may be an issue. The other DLC is the Rise of the Valkyries that is part of the Season Pass but can be purchased separately for $4.99. It adds the new Doomhilda henchman, but you will need to survive her vengeance as the Evil Genius destroyed or hopes of becoming a star in the world of opera.

Both henchmen have their accompanying side stories to recruit and the Pyro pack also includes three loot items to collect.

Source: Rebellion (Evil Genius 2)

Slocap has released a trailer for Sifu, its Kung Fu title set to arrive in 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The trailer features the power of the player's fists as you seek revenge for the murder of your family by an assassination squad. Of course it is not just about power but also adaptation and positioning, at least if you want to survive to hunt down the next murderer.

Source: Press Release (Slocap â Sifu)

From Ubisoft we have a couple updates for Rainbow Six Extract and Riders Republic. In both cases the news is delays with the former slipping to a January 2022 release target and the later moving from September 2 to October 28. This extra time for both games is to better tune the experience to be the better experience the developers feel the players deserve.

Source: Ubisoft [1] (Rainbow Six Extract) and [2] (Riders Republic)

Finishing things off is some gaming related news as AMD has released the source code for FidelityFX Super Resolution, or FSR. This is the spatial upscaling technology the company announced at Computex 2021 and was added to some games a few weeks ago. Though part of AMD's GPUOpen and FidelityFX initiatives, its source code was not released at the same time the first patches added it to games. With the code out there now, more developers than just those partnered with AMD will be able to incorporate it into their games, a process which is apparently quite easy.

In addition to the source code release, AMD also announced FSR is coming to both Unity and Unreal Engine 4. More specifically, a special preview beta of Unity 2021.2 HDPR and Unreal Engine 4.26 gains support via a patch, adding it to other FidelityFX technologies the engine supports.

Finally, some news was shared about support coming to additional games, with two receiving patches today, and two more arriving in two weeks. Those two in two weeks are Edge of Eternity and Resident Evil Village, with the former already supporting NVIDIA's DLSS, making direct comparisons possible, and the latter featuring ray tracing, so we can see how well FSR recovers performance lost to those advanced effects.

Source: GPUOpen and AMD Community

July 15, 2021

Permalink for 'Valve Announces Steam Deck Portable, Arriving December 2021'

13:37

Valve Announces Steam Deck Portable, Arriving December 2021

It has been a bit since I last saw a rumor concerning this, but it appears at least some of them were accurate as today Valve has announced its Steam Deck all-in-one portable gaming PC. Naturally its focus will be on playing games from your Steam library, but Valve does state it is capable of running other software, including other game stores even. The operating system is listed as SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based) with the KDE Plasma desktop so there will likely be some limitations associated with that, but not being locked to a Steam-only experience is a positive. Shipping should start in December 2021 and there are three models you can reserve, priced at $399, $529, and $649. Reservations open tomorrow at 10 AM PDT.

According to the technical specifications, the device features an AMD APU that combines a 4 core/8 thread Zen 2 CPU with 8 RDNA 2 Compute Units, which means it should have support for some of the latest hardware features such as accelerated ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders. Of course those will have to come from Vulkan as it is not a version of Windows the device will be running, though it will apply Steam Play and Proton to convert API calls as needed. Being a PC though, it should be possible to install other operating systems, which is stated in a Steam Deck FAQ under Steamworks Documentation (source link 6).

Coming back to the tech specs, the CPU cores will clock between 2.4 GHz and 3.5 GHz while the GPU CUs will be between 1.0 GHz and 1.6 GHz, providing 1.6 TFLOPS of FP32. For memory there is 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM running at 5500 MT/s. Storage is part of what distinguishes between the models, with the $399 version offering 64 GB through eMMC with a PCIe Gen2 x1 connection. Both the $529 and $649 will use NVMe SSDs for primary storage, though on a PCIe Gen3 x4 connection; the former will have 256 GB of storage and the latter 512 GB of "high-speed" storage. All models feature a "high-speed" microSD slot as well.

For the display, the Steam Deck has a 1280x800 optically bonded LCD with a 7 in diagonal. The maximum brightness is 400 nits and the refresh rate is 60 Hz. Naturally it is a touch screen so you will not need to rely on its various buttons, two thumbsticks, two trackpads, and 6-axis IMU gyroscope. According to the specs the trackpads feature 55% better latency than the Steam Controller and are pressure sensitive for configurable click strength. Being a portable device, connectivity is important and it will feature Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi with a 2x2 MIMO connection and 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac support. The USB-C port does support DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode for up to 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz, and you can use the official dock or a powered external hub for other connections, such as HDMI or Ethernet.

The specifications for the official dock are listed, but I have not seen any images of it and details are to come in the future, so it appears that is not yet finished. In any case, the specifications which may change state it will have on USB-A 3.1 port, two USB-A 2.0 ports, one DP1.4 port, one HDMI 2.0 port, and an Ethernet port. Power to it will be supplied by USB-C power delivery passthrough and a six inch captive cable will connect it to the Steam Deck.

Valve has equipped the device with a 40 Wh battery, which it claims will offer 7-8 hours of lighter use, such as 2D games, web browsing, and streaming videos. The APU is supposed to only draw between 4 W and 15 W, according to the tech specs which also give a minimum of 2 hours of gameplay (2 – 8 hours is what it states).

Coming to the physical design, the two thumbsticks are placed symmetrically with a D-pad and ABXY button cluster placed outside of them, on the left and right respectively. The thumbsticks have capacitive touch sensors built in for increased precision. Below the thumbsticks are the two trackpads, and below them are the Steam and Quick Access buttons, on the left and right respectively, with the left and right speakers below them. Along the top of the Steam Deck are the L1 and R1 buttons with the L2 and R2 triggers beneath them. Moving along the top edge from left to right are the Volume controls and headphone jack, the fan exhaust, USB-C port, status LED, and power button. On the bottom there are a total of four grip buttons; two on each side. It looks like the Steam Controller API will have plenty of room to show off what it is capable of with the Steam Deck. I almost forgot to mention the device does have a dual-microphone array.

By logging into Steam, you will have access to all of your account from your game's library to your friends list on the device, and the whole of the Steam Store will also be accessible. With Proton most any game should be able to run even without special optimization or updating from the developer and Valve is working on addressing issues with anti-cheat technologies. Naturally Remote Play is available for those that want the power of their desktop driving the experience and graphics.

It is an interesting looking device but what will be more interesting to see how well this latest attempt at hardware by Valve succeeds.

Source: Valve [1] (Steam Deck page), [2] (Hardware), [3] (Tech), [4] (Software), [5] (Steam Store Page), and [6] (Steam Deck FAQ)

July 08, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of July 5, 2021'

10:00

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of July 5, 2021

No, it is not Friday but as I will be aware from my desktop tomorrow I am covering the video game news of the week today. First up is an announcement from HandyGames as Skydrift Infinity now has a release date. This arcade-style air-racing and air-combat game is releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on July 29, so those looking for armed races or death matches at high speeds have just a few weeks to wait. You can check out the trailer below for a glimpse of some of the action you can expect. There are eight modern airplanes players will be able to choose from and four different skins for each. To make your plane all the more effective and lethal, there are six power ups you can collect, holding two in your plane's arsenal. As you play you can find upgrades to exist them, but will also need to make decisions on which to keep and which to convert into Boost energy. Skydrift Infinity supports up to eight people in multiplayer, if you want to take on your friends, and splitscreen makes local multiplayer possible. There are also three game modes you can play: Power Race Mode for racing with power-ups; Speed Race Mode for more careful navigation through ring targets; and Survival mode with pilots needing to race against the clock and each other.

Source: HandyGames (Skydrift Infinity)

Next we have some news from Maximum Games with the announcement of Among Us Collector's Editions, made possible by partnering with Innersloth, Dual Wield Studio, and Robot Teddy. There are three editions starting with the Crewmate Edition at $29.99. It includes the base game and all DLC, retail exclusive digital content, a 3D lenticular case, Impostor Syndrome sticker sheet, one of 12 special Mira HQ holographic access cards, a folded Skeld map poster, and a code for six PC/Phone wallpapers. The Impostor Edition at $49.99 adds to this with a Crewmate vs Impostor lanyard, purple crewmate plush, Spinning into Space enamel spinner pin, and limited edition Impostor Edition box. At the top is the Ejected Edition, priced at $89.99, and builds on the Impostor Edition with a Crewmate fleece blanket, red Impostor beanie, and its own limited edition Ejected Edition box.

All three of these collector's editions can be pre-ordered now and should be available later this year.

Source: Maximum Games (Among Us Collector's Editions)

Prime Matter and Dark Crystal Games have shared a new gameplay trailer for Encased, an isometric dystopian Sci-Fi RPG arriving this Fall. In the game you start with one of five disciplines when entering the Dome, an artifact containing technology that could advance humanity by hundreds of years. After entering, however, a cataclysm turns it from a hope for the future, to a world you will need to fight to survive in. Exploring the Dome and engaging in turn-based battles will be necessary to make it through, but your choices may not only result in your demise, but that of everyone else within the Dome as well.

Presently Encased is in Steam Early Access with both Act One and Act Two available. When it launches it will be available on Epic Games Store and GOG as well.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter – Encased)

Techland has released a trailer for the Dying Light 2 comic book, Banshee: I Am The Cure, which is available as a free download as part of the TechlandGG. It is only free as a digital comic until July 15 with a physical release to come at a later date. This comic is meant to set the stage for the upcoming game by depicting when the Harran Virus spiraled out of control. It was written by the game's lead writer, Mariusz Pitura, and the art is from Adam Markiewicz.

Dying Light 2 is launching on December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly we have some news from Ubisoft concerning the Assassin's Creed franchise. The publisher-developer has decided to change how future development for the series will work by making it a cross-studio effort, rather than going back and forth between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec. The experience of working from home over the past year has led Ubisoft to consider how it is organized and how it can make development less about studios and more about talent and leadership, regardless of physical location. For the Assassin's Creed franchise specifically, the goal is also to provide a more cohesive approach to development, something some fans have been hoping for.

In addition to this announcement, Ubisoft also shared Assassin's Creed Infinity is the codename for an upcoming project that is still early in development. Unfortunately there is not much more than that on this project, but it will be interesting to see what details are ultimately shared from this new multi-studio effort.

Source: Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed Infinity and Franchise Future)

July 02, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 28, 2021'

13:06

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 28, 2021

With June having ended and July beginning, it is time to go through some of the press releases that have collected this week, starting with one from Devolver Digital. Blightbound is a multiplayer dungeon crawler from Ronimo Games and it is exiting Steam Early Access on July 27, almost exactly one year after it entered. In the game, you and two friends can control three heroes that leave the safety of their mountain refuge to collect the gear and resources necessary for survival. Surrounding the mountain is the Blight, a fog flowing from the husk of the Shadow Titan that corrupts what it touches and produces abominations. With only three members of your group, each has a specific roll to fulfill to defeat bosses and solve challenges. Besides resources and gear, you can also find new heroes to unlock by leaving the mountain.

Blightbound will be available on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 when version 1.0 releases.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

Publisher and co-developer Dotemu has announced the release date for Street of Rage 4's Mr. X Nightmare DLC is July 15 and shared details for the Survival mode arriving with the DLC. Players will get to fight against endless waves of enemies, earning perks for as long as they can survive. There will be two versions of the survival sessions, with one being Random, featuring generated runs, and the other being Weekly, static gauntlets generated each week. By completing a level you get your pick of two random perks, with bonuses stacking to create unique and devastating combinations. New moves can also be permanently unlocked from the Survival mode, allowing you to bring them over to any other game mode.

In addition to the Survival mode, the DLC includes the playable debut of Estel Aguirre and playable versions of Max Thunder and Shiva. An upcoming free update will add a training system, color palette options, a New Mania+ difficulty, and many other refinements.

Mr. X Nightmare will be priced at $7.99.

Source: Dotemu (Streets of Rage 4)

Super Animal Royale from Modus Games and Pixile Studios has begun its Super Summer Royale event that adds new content for players to unlock. Until July 20 you will want to collect fruit baskets to ultimately unlock eight limited-edition Summer rewards, in addition to the 17 returning items from previous Summer Royale events. Super Dragonfruit Wolf and Super Avocado Sloth are new animals added as part of this event, and you can get them at the Research Lab using DNA. You can even travel to the southern shorelines and find some beach balls to kick, but be careful to not be killed while enjoying some beach soccer.

Source: Modus Games (Super Animal Royale)

The Last Oricru is an upcoming title from Prime Matter and developer GoldKnights, and this week the first gameplay footage was shared via an eight minute long overview. In this action-RPG, you explore the world of Wardenia where what we recognize as science fiction and medieval times are merged. You play as Silver, a man who crash-landed on planet years before, but has only now been woken up from his cryochamber as the world is in a state of civil war. An emphasis for the game is its dynamic storytelling, so the choices you make impact how things unfold for Wardenia. It will offer both a single player and local-co-op experience.

Source: Press Release (Prime Matter)

Square Enix has announced the release date for the Pixel Remaster versions of Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III as July 29. As part of these remasters, these classic games will feature quality of life upgrades such as a modernized UI and auto-battle options. They will also support controller and touch controls, with the latter being important as they are coming to mobile on that date, as well as Steam. Unfortunately I do not see any specific information on when the Pixel Remaster versions of Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy VI will be arriving, but those who pre-purchase the bundle of all six games will get a 20% discount on the price in addition to two exclusive wallpapers and three music tracks.

Source: Square Enix (Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster)

Techland made a couple of announcements this week for both Dying Light and Dying Light 2. Following alphabetical order means the original game goes first with its 4^th of July event and new Savvy Gamer Bundle. The event runs from July 1 to July 11 and will enable players to kill infected with fireworks. Succeed at killing 50 this way and you will receive a random Gold Melee Weapon. Those working towards the global objective of 10,000,000 infected kills with fireworks will receive three King Mods. You can get five fireworks per day from the Quartermaster.

With the Savvy Gamer Bundle you get DIY gamer-gear-themed skins for weapons, the player, and the buggy. The buggy skin is named "4wheelz" while the player's is "1337 G4m3R Outfit." You can have those on while charging into battle with the RGB AXE-Pad, one-handed axe with shock damage for consecutive hits, Next-Gen Maul, a two-handed hammer that deals shock damage with charged attacks, and the "LED Meta Bow." The bundle is priced at $2.99.

For those who do not yet have a copy of Dying Light, it is part of the steam Summer Sale and priced at 66% to 75% off, depending on if you want the Standard, Enhanced, or Platinum Edition. (The Platinum Edition does not include the Savvy Gamer Bundle.)

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 1)

Coming to Dying Light 2 now, Techland streamed the second episode of its Dying 2 Know series this week, which included a new gameplay trailer featuring the infected enemies players will have to contend with. It is embedded below for those curious about what horrors await in an abandoned GRE hospital. The episode also shared some behind the scenes of motion capture and sound design work. The company also revealed David Belle, the godfather of parkour, has been actively participating in the game's development and is lending his talent to a major in-game character.

Here is a link to the 27 minute long Dying 2 Know episode: Dying Light 2 Stay Human - Dying 2 Know: Episode 2. Dying Light 2 is releasing on December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Techland – Dying Light 2)

Lastly we have some gaming-related news as the schedule for WitcherCon has been shared by CD Projekt Red. This event will celebrate the various Witcher-related media, including the games and Netflix series. It will be streamed on both the CDPR Twitch channel and Witcher YouTube channel with the first stream on July 9 at 7 PM CEST and the second on July 10 at 3 AM CEST.

According to the schedule, the events include"The Witcher Season 2: Deck of Destiny", "Memories from the Path: Stories Behind the Witcher Games" and "The Witcher: Beyond Video Games." Both streams will contain some exclusive content, so those interested in everything will need to watch both.

Source: CD Projekt Red

June 25, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 21, 2021'

12:13

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 21, 2021

Friday has come around again and so it is time to go through some of the gaming and related news from the week, starting with a couple time-sensitive pieces. First, the Steam Summer Sale has begun, for those of you looking to expand your libraries and shrink your bank accounts.

If you want to add to your collection without emptying your wallet though, GOG is ending its Summer Sale soon and is giving away the Shadowrun Trilogy for its final days. You can claim it by just visiting the storefront's homepage and have Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director's Cut, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong added to your library for free. As the sale (and giveaway) end on June 28, you may want to take the time to check out the other deals, some of which have been placed in collections for easier searching. Steam's Summer Sale goes until July 8.

Source: GOG (Shadowrun Trilogy Giveaway)

The Crossplay Update for Borderlands 3 is out now, enabling players on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac, and Google Stadia to play together. At the same time, The Revengence of Revenge of the Cartels seasonal even has begun and the ability to access all themed seasonal events whenever you wish has been added. Endless Seasonal Events mean you can activate events like Revenge of the Cartels and Bloody Harvest from the main menu. This means you can freely earn the themed rewards and drops at your own pace, rather than having to race to bosses within some time limit. Also, until July 1 the effects of all six True Trials mini-events will be active, so all of the Trials bosses will have significant health and damage boosts, but at the same time the will also drop their two designated legendary items. Lastly, this update has also raised the level cap by seven, making the new maximum 72. This brings the skill point total to 70, opening up more ways for you to configure your characters' builds.

Source: 2K (Borderlands 3)

Revita, the roguelite from solo-developer BenStar and publisher Dear Villagers, has received its second Steam Early Access update, dubbed the Cursed Choices update. With this updae comes a new area, revamped ticket system, 25 new relics, and the sinister NPC named The Librarian. There is also new lore and secrets, mimics, additional hats, and a new Celestial weapon.

The trailer below shows some of what you can expect from this update.

Source: Dear Villagers (Revita) and Steam Patch Notes

Despite being 13 years old now, Left 4 Dead's influence can still be found on many modern games, and Zombie Army 4: Dead War from Rebellion is the latest example. The developer has added the playable characters from that classic to their title, so if you want to fight Nazi zombies as Bill, Francis, Louis, or Zoey, you now can with this free DLC. Those with Season Pass 3 will also gain access to the Abaddon Asylum location as part of the second Return to Hell campaign mission. Your goal is to find Baron Umbra at the asylum and take him out and end his evil. Along with this mission there are also new skins, charms, and headgear in the DLC, such as the WW1 Josiah Outfit and Zombie Tank weapon skins. The Abaddon Asylum DLC is part of Season Pass 3, priced at $34.99, but can also be purchased separately for $6.99.

Techland has another stream coming up for Dying Light 2 on its Twitch channel. Dying 2 Know Episode 2 will begin on July 1 at 9 PM CEST (12 PM PDT) on July 1. I have little information on this, but it appears part of its focus will be on the game's enemies, and possibly also the risk-reward for going out at night, when the monsters leave their nests. Dying Light 2 is releasing December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Techland)

Among the titles announced at E3 earlier this month was Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, coming from Ubisoft and this week a tech showcase for the Snowdrop engine has been shared. This engine has been used to recreate cities before, making the natural and raw land of Pandora a new challenge. By leveraging already present technologies, such as its complex shader support, and implementing new features, the vibrant world can be created.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is to launch in 2022 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

Source: Press Release (Ubisoft)

In other game-related news, AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution, FSR, has released with support in Anno 1800, Evil Genius 2: World Domination, Godfall, The Riftbreaker, and more. We can expect that list to lengthen as a significant number of studios are supporting the technology, but have not delivered patches net. Reviewer ir_cow has started a thread to talk about the new technology that you can check out: AMD FSR is finally out!. Of the currently supported games I only have Evil Genius 2 and it worked immediately after updating, without needing anything special like a driver update. Unfortunately as my displays are only 1920x1080 class, I cannot do very detailed testing, but we will see how things develop in the future, including any games that support both it and DLSS.

The GPUOpen page on the technology is worth a read, if you are interested, as it explains where in the graphics pipeline FSR is applied, and how it uses two main passes to upscale lower resolutions. The upscaling pass itself uses edge reconstruction and then a sharpening pass is used to extract pixel detail for the final image. Being part of the GPUOpen initiative and under FidelityFX, FSR is intended to be open source under the MIT license, but the code is to be released in mid-July. Something interesting and potentially important to note is the current implementation is marked as "1.0" in multiple games, implying the expectation of updates for it.

Source: GPUOpen (FidelityFX Super Resolution)

Lastly, UL Benchmarks has released a new test for 3DMark; the CPU Profile test. With this owners of the Advanced and Professional Editions will be able to measure CPU performance across multiple cores and threads, as the benchmark works through different numbers. The first part of the test loads all available threads before repeating the test using 16 threads, 8 threads, 4, threads, 2 threads, and finally a single-thread run. At the end, results comparing your CPU against others of the same model are shared, letting you see how your system stacks up, and if you may need to do some tweaking. These scores can also be compared between the different thread counts, so you can see how well your CPU performs at specific thread counts. When the thread count exceeds the number your processor actually supports, you should see the scores be the same, within the usual 3% margin for UL Benchmark results.

Source: UL Benchmarks (3DMark CPU Profile)

June 24, 2021

Permalink for 'Microsoft Announces Windows 11, Arriving Holiday 2021'

14:02

Microsoft Announces Windows 11, Arriving Holiday 2021

Windows 10 is approaching six years old now and while it has received many updates and upgrades with new features to continue its life, Microsoft has decided to replace it and today revealed its successor, the appropriately named Windows 11. Cutting straight to it, this next operating system is to be available around holiday time this year. Eligible Windows 10 systems will be able to upgrade for free starting then and the roll-out will continue into 2022, hopefully giving plenty of time for early issues to be addressed. The system requirements do not appear to be very great, so at least based on that it appears reasonable that most Windows 10 systems should be able to upgrade. Acer has worked with Microsoft to "ensure that the vast majority of our products on the market , including those announced in the past three years, are eligible for the free upgrade as soon as it becomes available," and undoubtedly Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Surface, which are all listed in the Windows Experience Blog post on Windows 11, have similarly worked with the company.

Being a new operating system, there will of course be a host of changes and features arriving with it, with some being more and less desired. One very obvious change captured in many of the screenshots is the placement of the Start menu and Task bar, from the bottom left to bottom center. This is a significant change from the quarter-century old standard and so is certainly going to receive significant criticism. My point being if that is something you do not like, you are not alone and, hopefully, there will be a quickly accessible setting to change to the classic placement. The Start menu itself has changed too, including receiving some cloud integration so that recently used Microsoft 365 files can be shown, regardless of what device you last accessed them on. This includes both Android and iOS devices.

Speaking of Android, the mobile operating system's apps will be able to run in Windows 11 using Intel Bridge technology. These apps can be discovered within the Microsoft Store and then downloaded through the Amazon Appstore. Microsoft has also stated it intends to open its Microsoft Store more, enabling developers to bring applications regardless of how they were built, including Win32 applications. The revenue sharing policies are also changing so that developers who bring their own commerce can keep all of the revenue generated, while those using Microsoft's commerce will have a 85/15 revenue split.

One feature I have been enjoying for years and will be expanded upon with Windows 11 is window snapping. Presently you can have windows take up different halves or quarters of the screen, but the next OS is introducing Snap Layouts and Snap Groups to make managing windows easier. Desktops are also listed but you are already able to work with separate desktops in Windows 10, though perhaps some new functionality is being added. It appears the snapping size and positions can be controlled from the window's menu bar, rather than needing to drag it to the screen edge or use the appropriate Windows Key combinations, which should make it easier to use in some situations.

Microsoft has also shared some of the gaming-relevant changes we can expect to arrive with the new OS, such as Auto HDR. This is meant to enhance the SDR content of DirectX 11 and newer games to take advantage of the wider range of colors and brightness values offered by HDR displays. This technology is already available on the Xbox Series X/S consoles. DirectStorage is a technology that was announced a while ago in relation to the Xbox Series X/S consoles, as part of the Velocity Architecture to get data where it needs to be faster. This will only be available on Windows 11, so those who have been looking forward to this technology to take better advantage of NVMe SSDs will need to run the upcoming OS to utilize it. The Xbox app will be built into Windows 11, which also means Game Pass for PC should be easier for those with it to utilize it for playing the various games offered.

There are still more features coming with Windows 11 that were announced today, and I am confident we can expect more to be revealed as it becomes available to the Windows Insider Program next week. That will be an early build, but users will be able to dig into what it offers.

Source: Microsoft [1], [2], and [3] (Gaming-relevant news)

June 18, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 14, 2021'

13:24

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of June 14, 2021

Once again it is Friday and time to go through various press releases that have collected and I did not cover as part of E3. First up is not strictly gaming news, because there are some time-sensitive events from Acer to cover. First, the company has partnered with Envy Gaming for the Predator Training Day even on June 26. This will feature a full day of livestreaming along with giveaways, special guests, swag, deals, and activities that can earn you prizes as the event approaches. Among those is the Ultimate Sweepstakes, which is those over 18 and in the US can enter for a chance to win a Predator Orion 3000 desktop and Predator XB3 monitor. It is also possible to win a Predator XB3 monitor, a gaming accessory bundle that includes a Predator Cestus 350 mouse and Predator Aethon 300 keyboard, and there is a chance to win exclusive Dallas Empire x Predator branded swag. This sweepstakes runs until June 26, the day of the Predator Training Day event, and you can learn more, including how to enter, at the source link below.

In addition to that Acer news, the company will also be taking part in Amazon Prime Day Deals this coming week. Though the sale prices cannot be shared early, we can expect various products to be on sale, including laptops like the ConceptD 3 Ezel, TravelMate P6, Aspire 5, and Swift 5, which target creators, business travelers, general use, and the ultrabook market respectively. The Predator XB273K monitor will also be among the items we can expect on sale, with this offering a 27 in, 2160p display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and is NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible, which means it should also support AMD FreeSync. If any of those products sound interesting, be sure to check them out during Amazon Prime Day.

Source: Acer (Predator Training Day)

Coming to some game news, though still time sensitive, GOG is giving away Absolute Drift until tomorrow, June 19 at 1 PM UTC. It is a different take on racing games as you must drift through the course and avoid various obstacles to win. I have embedded the GOG Release Trailer below.

Along with that giveaway, the GOG Summer Sale is continuing and has more content added to it as the Ultimate Red Collection is now on sale, as is Cyberpunk 2077, at 33% off. The Ultimate Red Collection contains all of CD Projekt Red's games, including The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and is priced at $55.99. As is stated on its product page, if you already own any of the games in that collection, you will receive the appropriate codes via email that you can give to a friend.

Source: GOG [1] (Absolute Drift) and [2] (Ultimate Red Collection)

Dear Villagers shared a couple more press releases this week, including the JRPG Astria Ascending is releasing on September 30. Along with this announcement, the eight playable heroes have been introduced with the "Fated Eight" trailer, embedded below. These eight are demigods that must save the world as chaos looms, and each of them have their own story behind them. The game should offer 30 hours of gameplay as you explore five cities and 25 dungeons, or 50 hours if you try for 100% completion.

It will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Dear Villagers [1] (Astria Ascending)

The other piece of news from Dear Villagers is the announcement of the release window for Recompile, an upcoming 3D metroidvania, hacking adventure. We now know it will be releasing this August, bringing its 3D platforming to PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. Players will need to leverage their super-powered abilities to fight enemies and the game's hacking mechanic to solve its environmental, physics-based puzzles. Depending on your actions, to repair systems, restore lost data, or destroy enemies, you can unlock different endings as you play as a piece of semi-sentient code, trapped in the Mainframe the Hypervisor runs and tries to delete trespassers from.

Source: Dear Villagers [2] (Recompile)

Devolver Digital has announced Boomerang X will be releasing on July 8, and shared a new trailer to celebrate. This adventure featuring a razor-edge boomerang will allow you to catapult through the air and slow down time as you destroy your enemies, is coming to both PC and Nintendo Switch. You can check out the trailer to see what it is we can expect in a few weeks.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital [1] â Boomerang X)

The first major update for Loop Hero has also released this week, bringing with it some much desired features, including the ability to save and quit in the middle of an expedition. Previously quitting meant abandoning your current adventure, but now you will be able to return at a later time. Other changes include the Perks Deck to remove boss perks from the pool during an expedition and the ability to have multiple decks, both for perks and the cards. Three new tiles and two new enemies have been added as well, and the speed button can now go as high as 4x speed, for those who really do not want to waste any time.

Rather than accompanying this update with a trailer, a documentary from Noclip has been shared as it follows the game's creation from the Ludum Dare game jam to its release: Loop Hero Developers Reveal the Design Origins of their Breakthrough Hit.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital [2] â Loop Hero)

The prologue trailer for ProtoCorgi has been shared by Koch Media along with its release date of August 26 for PC and Nintendo Switch. Coming from Kemono Games and published by Ravenscourt, this game will offer a retro-style, horizontal experience with pixel art styling and classic arcade gameplay as you control Bullet, a C3 class puppy. Bullet's creator, Nixie, has been kidnapped by alien forces seeking galactic domination, and now the pup must rescue her.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media â ProtoCorgi)

Modus Games has released the opening cinematic for Cris Tales, an upcoming JRPG where you move through the past, present, and future on the same screen in order to save the citizens of Crystallis. Even combat can cross time periods for Crisbell and her friends, making for some interesting mechanics and combos.

Cris Tales releases on July 20 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Source: Press Release (Modus Games â Cris Tales)

Techland has begun its Dying Light 2 Stay Human User Contest that allows fans to submit writing, art, and cosplay for a chance at cash prizes, the limited Collector's Edition of the upcoming game, and more. For writing, the developer is looking for short stories inspired by the lives of The City's citizens while artwork submissions should come alive under UV light. With cosplay you want to become a Dying Light 2 character wielding a makeshift weapon, created for combat and climbing, or whatever else your creativity leads you to.

Submissions are being accepted until December 7, the day the game releases. Cash prizes go up to $2500 and you may even see your art featured in the game. All finalists will receive the Platinum Edition of the original Dying Light, which includes all of its DLC.

Source: Techland (Dying Light 2 Stay Human User Contest)

Lastly, THQ Nordic has announced the next game coming from Piranha Bytes is ELEX II. Following the events of the original game, Magalan has enjoyed some peaceful years with the old factions having been defeated and new factions having risen. The attempts to terraform the land have also started to beat fruit, but Jax has brought knowledge of a new threat to the world. Now he must unite factions to face the coming darkness together. Though there is no release date yet, it will be coming to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: THQ Nordic (Elex II)

June 14, 2021

Permalink for 'Other Game Announcements from Over E3 Weekend'

14:03

Other Game Announcements from Over E3 Weekend

This weekend has seen more than Ubisoft, Devolver Digital, and Square Enix press releases fill my inbox, so here are the rest, starting with the announcement of Splitgate from 1047 Games. Actually the game has already existed under a different name, but with the upcoming release it is getting a new name and, more importantly, cross-play.

Splitgate is an online FPS that combines the action of a fast-paced shooter with player-controlled portals, opening up new ways to flank enemies. On July 27 it is launching on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 with cross-play and will have challenges, leaderboards, over a dozen game modes for casual and competitive fun, and over 20 maps. You can find yourself within a research facility hidden in an active volcano, at an underwater luxury hotel, and at an alien crash site, and always need to keep an eye behind you. It will be free-to-play and you can check out the trailer below, but if July 27 is too long to wait, there will be an open beta starting July 1.

Source: Press Release 1047 Games

Dear Villagers and Modern Storyteller have announced The Forgotten City will be releasing on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on July 28, while a Nintendo Switch version will arrive later in the year. The game is a murder-mystery set in an ancient Roman city with 23 people who have clung on to life through the centuries, but with an important catch; if one person breaks the Golden Rule, they will all die. Your purpose is to find who the murderer is, but if you fail time will be reset, allowing you a second chance, armed with the information you collected before. The city itself will contain authentic art, architecture, and costumes to take in while you get to know the detailed and interactive characters.

Source: Dear Villagers (The Forgotten City)

Dotemu has shared a new trailer for Streets of Rage 4's upcoming Mr. X Nightmare DLC. This DLC will add three new characters to play as, a Survival mode, new and customizable attacks, music, and more to the base game. In the trailer though, you can watch Shiva and Max Thunder along with Estel Aguirre defeat enemies across eight minutes of gameplay.

Source: Press Release (Dotemu – Streets of Rage 4)

Modus Games and Reply Game Studios have announced Soulstice, a high-energy action game with a dual-character design. Success on the battlefield will require combining the strengths of the sisters Briar and Lute, Chimeras or hybrid warriors created from the union of two souls. It is only such warriors that can defeat the Wraiths born of Chaos. While Briar was given superhuman abilities, Lute was sacrificed to become her Shade with mystical powers. The combat system of the game will be deep with its combos, multiple weapons, and customization options while they fight to retake the city of Ilden.

Soulstice is to release in 2022 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. It's announcement trailer is behind an age-gate, so you will need to sign-in to YouTube to view it: Soulstice – E3 announcement Trailer).

Source: Modus Games (Soulstice)

Newly formed publishing label Prime Matter has announced its deal with Massive Work Studio for Dolmen. This third-person action RPG takes place in a cosmic horror, sci-fi universe with influence from HP Lovecraft and other elements of pop culture as it tries to demonstrate how ruthless the universe can be. Vicious bosses and hostile environments will need to be overcome to learn the secrets of the mysterious crystal called Dolmen. It will be releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 when it launches in 2022.

Source: Prime Matter (Dolmen)

Lastly, a new trailer has been shared by Sloclap for Sifu, a third-person action game with intense hand-to-hand combat. You are a young Kung-Fu student seeking revenge for the murder of your entire family by a squad of assassins. Your hunt will bring you to different places and this new trailer features the nightclub location but you can also expect to explore the suburbs and corporate towers as your quest.

Sifu is to release this year for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Press Release (Sloclap – Sifu)

June 04, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 31, 2021'

12:08

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 31, 2021

Computex 2021 started the week with a lot of interesting hardware announcements, and now to end it with some video game news. First up is the time-limited Warhammer Skulls event at GOG. In addition to having quite a number of Warhammer games on sale from 10% to 80% off, there is also a Digital Goodie Pack you can claim for free. It includes strategy game Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, Warhammer Skulls and Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus wallpapers, the soundtrack for Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, which is one of the games on sale, and a 15% discount code for Warhammer merch at the official store. It should be noted you will need to log into GOG via a browser to access some of this content, as not all of it is accessible via the Galaxy client.

Both the sale and the giveaway end on June 10, so you still have about a week to decide if you want to pick up any of these items.

Source: GOG (Warhammer Skulls event)

Rebellion has announced the next entry for its Sniper Elite franchise with Sniper Elite VR, releasing July 8 for Steam VR, Oculus Rift and Quest, and PlayStation VR. It has an exclusive game where you play as an Italian partisan fighting fascism by protecting your countrymen and trying to drive out the invaders. The game offers different movement options from full locomotion to single-stick teleport to match your preference and situation. And for those curious, the signature X-ray kill-cam of the franchise has been rebuilt for VR.

Source: Rebellion (Sniper Elite VR)

This week Square Enix shared its Summer Showcase event will occur on June 13 at 12:15 PT, as part of E3 2021. For this event the company will provide an update on BABYLON's FALL, more information on the Black Panther- War for Wakanda expansion for Marvel's Avengers, a deep dive for Life is Strange: True Colors and first look at Life is Strange: Remastered Collection, and, perhaps most importantly, the world premiere for a new game coming from Eidos Montreal.

The event will be streamed on Square Enix's YouTube and Twitch channels.

Source: Square Enix (Square Enix Presents)

Though we are half a year away from the release of Dying Light 2, Techland has launched TechlandGG, a community hub meant to connect players across the company's titles, starting with the Dying Light series. It will offer game updates, secrets, in-game items, behand-the-scenes content, and eventually player stat-tracking. By registering an account and tying it to your Dying Light account, you will get The Wasp, a weapon inspired by its sequel, and some never before seen concept art, images, and wallpapers are available to download as well.

Dying Light 2 will be launching on December 7 for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Source: Techland (TechlandGG)

Ending this with a little non-gaming news as NVM Express has published the NVMe 2.0 specification this week. Among the new features are Zoned Namespaces (ZNS), Key Value (KV), endurance group management, and support for rotational media. It may seem odd for a version of NVMe, used most commonly with high-speed SSDs, to support HDDs, but I have seen at least one reasonable explanation: By including HDD support, servers can rely on this single standard to connect its various storage drives.

The ZNS feature allows the data to be aligned with the physical media of a solid state drive, which can improve performance and potentially also the capacity available to the host. The KV Command Set feature can also improve performance as it enables data to be accessed with a key instead of a block address. Typically a table must be referenced to identify keys and logical blocks, but with this an application can communicate the key-value pairs it is interested in, avoiding the overhead of that translation. Endurance Groups are what their name suggests, providing a means to configure drives together and increasing the control over SSDs.

While some of these new features are almost certainly targeting servers and systems of similar scale, we can likely expect some improvements when NVMe 2.0 eventually reaches consumer products. It does maintain backwards compatibility with prior versions of NVMe.

Source: NVM Express (NVMe 2.0 Announcement) and Phoronix

June 01, 2021

Permalink for 'EK Water Blocks Reveals New AIO, Quantum, Fluid Works, and Fluid Gaming Products at Computex 2021'

14:19

EK Water Blocks Reveals New AIO, Quantum, Fluid Works, and Fluid Gaming Products at Computex 2021

While a lot of focus on the Computex 2021 announcements will be on the new processor devices and technologies, these are not the only reveals for the show and EK Water Blocks has shared some of its new and upcoming products. Among these additions are a new line of AIO coolers and parts under the EK-Quantum line for custom cooling builds.

Starting with the all-in-one coolers, the EK Nucleus line has been announced with two of its series, the Lux and Vision, up for pre-order now, with two additional series to come later. All of the Nucleus AIOs feature a pump with a rotatable top, so when you install the cooler you can turn it by 90º increments to align with your build. The fitting positions have been changed from prior EK AIOs to make a Nucleus easier to install, especially in tight spaces. The tubbing too has been improved with a fin nylon mesh sleeve over it and the new radiator cover should improve the aesthetic.

Getting into the specific series, the EK-Nucleus AIO Lux series is for those that want their systems to be illuminated with RGB. Naturally both the fans and pump cover feature D-RGB for this, but the pump top also produces a fan-like effect. The Lux AIO will be available in 120 mm, 240 mm, and 360 mm versions priced at $94.99, $124.99, and $159.99, respectively.

The EK-Nucleus AIO Vision series is takes things a bit farther than the Lux, if you are interested in customizing the appearance of your cooler. Its pump top features an LCD screen that supports 24-bit color. This display can be configured to show performance and temperature information as a digital readout, or you can have it display a custom image, including GIFs, if you prefer. This will be available in 240 mm and 360 mm versions priced at $209.99 and $239.99, respectively.

Both the Lux and Vision are up for pre-order with the former shipping in September and the latter in October. The other two EK-Nucleus series that will be detailed later are the Dark series that do not need the flashy aesthetics and the Elite series with extra gadgets and a brushed aluminum design. Exactly what extra gadgets can be added on top of the LCD display will be interesting to see, but we need to wait to learn more.

If your preference is for building your own custom liquid cooling loop, EK has expanded its Quantum line of products with some significant additions. For starters there are 50 new EK-Quantum Surface radiator models have been engineered, including multi-port and crossflow models. Multi-port radiators have ports on both the face and side of the radiator, which can help with how you run your lines. Crossflow designs have the coolant enter the radiator on one side of the radiator and exit on the other, rather than having the inlet and outlet on the same side, such as with most AIOs. This too can help with routing your lines, especially as the crossflow radiators are also multi-port.

There are also three categories for these radiators, with the S or Slim category being 30 mm thick, the P or Performance being 44 mm thick, and the X for Extreme being 58 mm thick. If that this not enough for you, there is still a little more for these new radiators will be available in white as well, for those that want an all-white build.

Along with designing new radiators, EK has also worked on new fans with plenty of RGB. The EK-Quantum Phase and Quantum Impulse fans have been designed with RGB in mind as heavy use of RGB can take away space for the fan blades, reducing performance. These Quantum Impulse fans have been designed to maximum the surface of the fans while still offering RGB. The Quantum Phase fans provide even more RGB with a fully-lit frame. Both fan models have a full-frame design to prevent air leakage and MagLev motor technology to reduce noise and increase lifespan. The Quantum Phase fans can also have corner-mounted vibration-dampening pieces installed.

Quantum water blocks are also being improved with the Velocity² and Vector². The goal for both of these designs is to offer a new and improved cooling engine for CPU and GPU blocks, while still being completely compatible with the Quantum line. Velocity² CPU water blocks will actually feature cores designed for the socket they are targeting, which also means they will be tuned for each processor generation. This design change makes sense especially for modern Ryzen CPUs with their chiplet design placing dies off-center of the chip. The Velocity² blocks also feature a patent-pending mounting mechanism that should make installation quick and precise. This ExactMount system contains pre-tensioned springs inside the water block top, so with just a few turns of the thumb-nuts it is mounted.

The Vector² GPUs blocks will feature a concealed LED strip on the long side of the block and have a new backplate design. The terminal will be thicker as well, to help with port spacing and integration with distribution plates.

EK-Quantum Torque fittings have been available for a while, but a new Gold Edition was revealed. These 32 fittings added to the portfolio have real gold plating for those wanting that look for their build.

Lastly for the EK-Quantum news, the company is hoping to set a new standard for water cooling components, not unlike the G1/4 thread standard already present. Dubbed EK-Matrix7, the idea is to have product heights and distances between ports all fall on increments of 7 mm. If you scroll up you will see the three radiators categories follow this, at 30 mm, then 44 mm (14 mm) more, and 58 mm (14 mm more, again). Additionally, the extended fittings are 7 mm, 14 mm, and 28 mm long. The reason for this standard is to make fitting all of the parts of a liquid cooling setup easier. By adding a 14 mm extender to a P-series radiator you have the thickness of an X-series radiator, and the same is true when attaching a 28 mm extension to an S-series radiator. EK is working with case manufacturers to implement EK-Matrix7 so radiator rails and other features fall in the right positions.

Still more was announced by EK from its Fluid Works and Fluid Gaming lines. For Fluid Gaming a new small form factor build is available, featuring the Lian-Li PC-O11D Mini that is 70% the size of the originally. The cooling of both the CPU and GPU is achieved with the new EK AIO Plus, with the CPU being a Ryzen 5 5600X while the GPU can be AMD or NVIDIA.

Fluid Works is EK's line for liquid cooling workstations and it has added two versions of the X7000 to its lineup. The X7000-C is a compact design for those needing to fight the power of server grade components and up to four liquid cooled GPUs in a small space. With industrial-grade quick disconnect couplings (QDCs), it can be easily upgraded and serviced. The X7000-RM is to satisfy the many requests received for a rack-mountable Fluid Works server. It uses a 5U chassis that supports up to seven GPUs, and again can be easily upgraded and serviced with its QDCs. Importantly, it also uses a self-contained and removable liquid cooling loop, so an external thermal exchanger is not necessary.

While that covers what EK revealed today for Computex 2021, there will be an AMA on June 4, so you can share questions on the company's social media and maybe see them answered then.

Source: EK Water Blocks [1] (Computex 2021 Product Highlights), [2] (EK-Nucleus AIO), and [3] (EK-Quantum Additions)

Permalink for 'NVIDIA Announces GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti at Computex 2021'

10:04

NVIDIA Announces GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti at Computex 2021

NVIDIA is also at Computex 2021 and announced two new GPUs that will be available quite soon; the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti launching on June 3 while the RTX 3070 Ti will arrive on 10. The RTX 3080 Ti uses the same GA102 die of the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090, though it is closer to the higher end part as it has 80 SMs enabled (10240 CUDA cores), compared to the RTX 3090's 82 SMs (10496 CUDA cores). The RTX 3080 has just 68 SMs (8704 CUDA cores). The clocks of the RTX 3080 Ti are below that of the two other GA102 products though, with a base clock of 1.37 GHz and boost of 1.67 GHz, compared to the 1.44 GHz/1.71 GHz of the RTX 3080 and 1.40 GHz/1.70 GHz of the RTX 3090. The memory interface of the RTX 3080 Ti is the same as the RTX 3090, but is paired with only 12 GB of GDDR6X instead of 24 GB. It also has the same 350 W TDP as the RTX 3090, while the RTX 3080 is 320 W.

According to NVIDIA, those specifications enable RTX 3080 Ti to be about 1.5 times the speed of the RTX 2080 Ti for gaming and double the performance in other applications, such as Blender and V-Ray. Its MSRP is $1199.

The RTX 3070 Ti has its MSRP at $599 and appears to feature a more unlocked version of the die in the RTX 3070. Rather than 46 SMs (5888 CUDA cores) the RTX 3070 Ti has 48 SMs (6144 CUDA cores) combined with higher clock speeds. While the RTX 3070 has a base clock of 1.50 GHz and boost of 1.73 GHz, the RTX 3070 Ti starts at 1.58 GHz and can reach 1.77 GHz. Its VRAM has been upgraded to GDDR6X, though keeps the same 8 GB amount as the RTX 3070. NVIDIA is claiming it will provide a 1.5x performance improvement compared to the RTX 2070 Super and double the performance of the older GTX 1070 Ti.

Both the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti will employ's NVIDIA's solution to cut the hash rate for Etherium mining to make them less desirable for crypto-miners.

In addition to these hardware announcements, NVIDIA also shared its RTX technologies are coming to eight more titles: DOOM Eternal; Red Dead Redemption 2; Rainbow Six Siege; Icarus; LEGO Builder's Journey; DYING: 1983; The Ascent; and The Persistence. Of that list, all are gaining DLSS support while all but Red Dead Redemption 2 will apply ray tracing, in one form or another. When this support is arriving varies for the already-released games, but the second source link has more information, and those games yet-to-launch should have support when they release.

NVIDIA Reflex support is also arriving in additional games: Escape From Tarkov; War Thunder; CrossFire HD; NARAKA: BLADEPOINT; and GhostRunner. Additional monitors with the Reflex Latency Analyzer are also coming from Lenovo, Acer, and Viewsonic and mice with the Reflex Latency Analyzer are coming from Corsair, EVGA, and ASUS ROG.

Though not shared in their press releases (I will admit, I have not watch the keynote embedded below), Phoronix is reporting NVIDIA will be bringing DLSS support to Linux through Steam Play. Valve with its Proton initiative has enabled playing various Windows games on Linux using technologies such as DXVK, D9VK, and VKD3D that translate DirectX API calls to appropriate Vulkan calls. According to Phoronix, DXVK-NVAPI and similar plumbing is being used to enable this support, with DXVK-NVAPI being an NVAPI implementation built atop DXVK. Unfortunately, while this Steam Play DLSS support is to arrive later this month, it is limited to those games using Vulkan natively. Support for DirectX games that use DLSS is not anticipated until Autumn.

Source: NVIDIA [1] (RTX 3080 Ti, RTX 3070 Ti Announcement), [2] (Additional RTX Games), [3] (NVIDIA Reflex), and Phoronix (DLSS Coming to Steam Play/Linux)

Permalink for 'AMD Announces FSR, Zen 3 APUs, Radeon RX 6000M GPUs, and 3D Chiplet Stacking at Computex 2021'

8:42

AMD Announces FSR, Zen 3 APUs, Radeon RX 6000M GPUs, and 3D Chiplet Stacking at Computex 2021

Last night was AMD's Computex 2021 keynote and several products and technologies were announced. Perhaps the one most people will be interested in is FidelityFX Super Resolution, AMD's response to NVIDIA's DLSS that has been long anticipated. Rather than get straight to what we know about the technology, it will be supported on RX 6000 series, RX 5000 series, RX 500 series, RX Vega series, and all Ryzen Processors with Radeon Graphics, and can run on NVIDIA GeForce 10 series GPUs and newer. Though AMD does not provide technical support for FSR running on other vendor's graphics cards, it showed a GTX 1060 using FSR to improve the performance in Godfall running at 1440p with its Epic preset. It chose that non-AMD GPU to feature because it is the most popular on Steam.

Equally important as the hardware support, FidelityFX Super Resolution will be available on June 22, so the first patch adding it to a game is just weeks away. AMD also shared there are over 10 game studios and engines supporting it. If you want to suggest a game for it to be added to, you can visit AMD.com/FSR to submit its name.

Getting into the specifics of FSR, it appears the patent published a couple weeks ago may in fact be the underlying tech behind it. That patent described a purely spatial-based upscaling method, and that is specifically what the GPUOpen page states it is. It does not rely on history buffers or motion vectors, meaning it does not utilize temporal information, and it does not need per-game training. It supports DirectX 12, Vulkan, and DirectX 11, will be open source under the MIT license with full shader source code released, and supports both fixed and arbitrary scaling.

FidelityFX Super Resolution has four quality modes: Performance; Balanced; Quality; and Ultra Quality. According to the presentation, Godfall at 4K with its Epic preset and ray tracing enabled on the RX 6800XT, native resolution rendering runs at 49 FPS (20.41 ms); Ultra Quality runs at 78 FPS (12.82 ms); Quality at 99 FPS (10.10 ms); Balanced at 124 FPS (8.06 ms); and Performance at 150 FPS (6.67 ms). In FPS those are increases of 59.2%, 102 %, 153%, and 206%, respectively, which is reasonably impressive. It will be quite interesting to see its impact on visual quality, outside of the presentation, and its compressed video.

There was another very interesting technology AMD showed, but I will save that to the end as it is unclear when it may come to a product. What is coming on August 5 though are a couple Zen 3-based desktop APUs; the Ryzen 5 5G00G and Ryzen 7 5700G. The 5600G features 6 CPU cores/12 threads with 7 GPU Compute Units. The base CPU clock is 3.9 GHz while the boost is 4.4 GHz and the CUs can run at up to 1.9 GHz. The 5700G has 8 cores/16 threads running at a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.6 GHz while its 8 CUs will have a maximum frequency of 2.0 GHz. The 5600G will be priced at $259 and the 5700G at $359.

For those interested in mobile offerings, the RX 6000M series was announced with the RX 6800M at the top with 40 CUs, 12 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a game clock of 2300 MHz at 145 W, and 96 MB of Infinity Cache. The RX 6700M is a little smaller at 36 CUs, 10 GB of GDDR6, and 80 MB of Infinity Cache, but it too has a game clock of 2300 MHz, though at 135 W. Lastly the RX 6600M has 28 CUs, 8 GB of GDDR6, 32 MB of Infinity Cache, and a game clock at 2177 MHz at 100 W. The RX 6800M is targeting 1440p at 120 FPS, the RX 6700M is aiming for 1440p at 100 FPS, and the RX 6600M for 1080p at 100 FPS.

Comparing these against NVIDIA's offerings, AMD is claiming superior performance, especially when power constrained, meaning running on battery. Naturally independent reviews will need to test this claim. If one does not need the highest frame rates, Radeon Chill can be used to limit power usage and heat production by setting lower and upper performance limits on a per-game basis.

AMD also announced its AMD Advantage Design Framework, which appears to AMD's version of NVIDIA Max-Q and Intel Evo for laptop design. AMD Advantage laptops will combine Ryzen 5000 series mobile CPUs with RX 6000M series graphics, FreeSync Premium displays, at least one NVMe SSD, and Smart technologies like SAM and SmartShift. SmartShift is a technology that allows the power budgets for a laptop's CPU and GPU to be shared, so when the CPU needs less power and the GPU more, it can have it, and vice versa, while SAM or Smart Access Memory applies PCIe's resizable BAR feature to give the CPU better control over VRAM. AMD also requires Advantage laptops to deliver of 100 FPS in many games, at least 10 hours of video playback on batter, the display to have a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate, with LFC, a brightness of 300 nits or more, wide gamut support, and places certain limits on thermals. Specifically it was stated the surface temperature at the WASD keys cannot go above 40 ºC while gaming.

The ASUS ROG Strix G15 with the RX 6800M and HP Omen 16 with RX 6600M are both expected to launch this month, with more AMD Advantage laptops from Lenovo and MSI to arrive later this year.

Other announcements before the other technology reveal were embedded APUs with RDNA2 graphics being used in the Tesla Model S and Model X for its media center, with the integrated GPU able to power AAA games. Also the company's partnership with Samsung will see RDNA2 coming to the Exynos SOC for Samsung's next high performance phone. It will support both ray tracing and variable rate shading.

Lastly we have the other technology reveal AMD provided at the end of the keynote, and it is rather interesting. Working with TSMC and its 3D Fabric technology, the company has developed a 3D stacking method that will utilize through silicon vias, TSVs, and a hybrid bond approach to provide over 200 times the interconnect density of on-package 2D chiplets and over 15 times that of micro-bump 3D stacking, resulting in better than three times the energy efficiency.

For the prototype held up during the presentation, AMD placed 64 MB SRAM caches on top of the core complexes of a Ryzen 9 5900X, creating a CPU with a combined 192 MB of L3 cache in the same footprint as the standard 5900X. This V-Cache prototype was then shown running Gears 5 at 1080p against a standard 5900X and with both CPUs at a fixed 4 GHz frequency, AMD was claiming a 12% performance improvement, though a 15% average is reported across other games.

With this being a prototype of the technology, it is hard to say if we can expect V-Cache to arrive in any products, or rather V-Cache in this configuration to arrive in products. However, it was stated AMD will "be ready to start production on our highest-end products with 3D chiplets by the end of this year." It looks like next year could prove quite interesting for AMD.

Source: AMD [1] (Computex 2021), [2] (GPUOpen – FSR), and [3] (Partnerships and 3D Chiplets)

May 31, 2021

Permalink for 'Intel Announces New Laptop CPUs and 5G Solution at Computex 2021'

10:02

Intel Announces New Laptop CPUs and 5G Solution at Computex 2021

Computex 2021 has begun with Intel leading things off with its keynote last night. The company revealed two new laptop processors it claims are the best for thin-and-light laptops and its m.2 5G solution that has come from its collaboration with MediaTek and Fibocom. Starting with the Core i5-1155G7 and i7-1195G7, Tiger Lake refresh processors, these two are both 4 core/8 thread parts, with the i5 having 80 Iris X^e Execution Units and the i7 having 96 EUs for graphics. The i5-1155G7 has a base clock of 2.5 GHz but a maximum single-core boost of 4.5 GHz while the i7-1195G7 has a base clock of 2.9 GHz but a maximum single-core boost of 5.0 GHz, when using Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0. This makes the i7 the first CPU in the U-series to offer 5.0 GHz. The graphics in the i5 have a maximum clock speed of 1.35 GHz while the i7 goes a little higher to 1.4 GHz, while both CPUs have the same operating power range of 12 W to 28 W.

According to Intel's slides, the i7-1195G7 can offer 1.46 times to 2.78 times the gaming performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800U, across ten games including Fortnite (1.46x), Death Stranding (1.81x), Grid 2019 (1.99x), and Valheim (2.78x). Intel is also claiming wins in light content creation, with 1.82 times the performance of the Ryzen 7 5800U in DaVinci Resolve and 2.36x in Adobe Lightroom Photo Merge. One outlier in its charts is Handbrake converting 4K AVC to 1080p HEVC at 8 times the performance, but as is noted on the Performance Index page, this result was due to Intel Quick Sync Video acceleration. The Performance Index also states the i7-1195G7 was running in its PL1 state for these tests, gaming and content creation, which means it was using 28 W, while the Ryzen 7 5800U was observed at 15 W with bursts to approximately 25 W according to AMD's μProf. The Intel test system was also using LPDDR4 4627 MHz memory while the AMD system had DDR4 3200 MHz, which too may have positively influenced the results for the new Intel processor. It will prove interesting to see results from independent testing, especially when compared with more similar configurations, though it might be a while as products using the Core i5-1155G7 and Core i7-1195G7 are expected this holiday season, with designs from Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI.

The Intel 5G Solution 5000 is its 5G m.2 device that has resulted from Intel's partnership with MediaTek to define, develop, and certify. This partnership was necessary for Intel as it sold its 5G assets to Apple in 2019. Acer, ASUS, and HP are going to be among the first OEMs this year to deploy this m.2 adapter into products, paired with Intel Core U- and H-series processors and over 30 designs can be expected next year. It supports AT&T, Verizon, and many other networks across the world, according to its features listed in the Media Presentation PDF. Interestingly, though it uses an m.2 connection, its form factor differs from other m.2 devices, being 30 mm wide and 52 mm long.

Also announced are some additions to Intel's Evo platform, including Wi-Fi 6E, which the company claims enables speeds beyond 1 Gbps with lower latency and improved reliability. This is thanks to the use of additional 6 GHz frequency bands, by reducing interference and congestion between channels. Of course 6 GHz bands need to be supported for this to be available. Intel also highlighted the result of pairing an 11^th Gen Intel Core CPU with its second generation Optane memory. The company claims this enables applications to launch significantly faster, such as Adobe Photoshop at up to 49% faster.

Source: Intel [1] (Computex 2021 Release), [2] (Media Presentation PDF), and [3] (Performance Index)

May 28, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 24, 2021'

11:36

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 24, 2021

It is the last Friday of May and time to go through some video game stories, starting with some time-limited offers. The news on Dying Light 2 the dispatch teased will be near the end as Techland, as I go through the news in alphabetical order.

For the time-sensitive news, we start with a couple from GOG as Biomutant and MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries both are coming with free games for the next for days. Purchasing a copy of Biomutant before June 1 will get you a free copy of Shadow Warrior 2 while a purchase of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries before June 2 gets you a copy of The Surge. In both cases you need to check the Serial Numbers section of your GOG library through a browser to get the complimentary key. Links to both of these game's store pages are below, as at the top of their descriptions is information on this offer.

Source: GOG [1] (Biomutant store page) and [2] (MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries store page)

Over on Steam you can get both Company of Heroes 2 and Company of Heroes 2 – Ardennes Assault for free. This offer is only through the weekend though, ending on May 31. Until June 3 though, there is also a sale on the Company of Heroes franchise, so if you are a fan or find yourself really enjoying the free games, you have a little extra time to decide if you want to purchase some additional content.

Source: Steam (Company of Heroes 2 Limited Free Promotional Package)

Devolver Digital has shared another trailer for the upcoming Shadow Warrior 3, but instead of featuring an arena or weapons, this one shows off various enemies, and typically their organs after they explode. Some of these enemies have been in previous trailers, but I think this is the reveal for some of them. In any case, here is a list: Hattori; Seeking Shokera; Gassy Obariyon; Shogai; Slinky Jakku; Oni Hanma; Kugutsu; and Mogura Twins.

Shadow Warrior 3 is slated to release sometime this year.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

HandyGames has announced PERISH, a four-player co-op FPS that will challenge players to rise from the underworld to Elysium. The enemies players will face come from Greek, Roman, and Christian mythologies, including some rare an unheard-of colossal gods of ancient Greece. You can play alone or with three friends in online co-op and wield ornate javelins, swords, bows, and guns as well as take advantage of co-op specific gear and gadgets to support your ascension.

I do not see anything suggesting a release date or window yet, but you can check out the announcement trailer below, with its death-metal soundtrack written by the devs.

Source: HandyGames (PERISH)

Finally we come to the Dying Light 2 news from Techland, including the release date of December 7. Of course more information than that was shared, as we also got a gameplay trailer, embedded below, and the first episode of Dying 2 Know that shares how the game world was created as well as learning more about the main character's, Aiden's goals and motivations.

Though the release is still months away, the pre-order bonuses have been revealed, as well as the contents of the Collector's Edition. Starting with the pre-order bonuses, these are the Reload outfit, weapon, and paraglider skins. There are four versions you can pre-order, starting with the Standard edition, then Deluxe, Ultimate, and finally the Collector's Edition. Inside that limited version you get a copy of the game, naturally, a UV flashlight, UV stickers, hard copy of the artbook, map of "The City", Steelbook case, Collector's edition box, a thank you letter from the creators, and the "Defender of the city" 10 inch statuette with stylized UV lamp. That is just the physical goodies in this edition, as there is also digital content include special packs, a night XP boost, wallpapers and digital comic, copy of the artbook, and soundtrack. The Collector's Edition will also get you two story DLC that will be available after release.

Source: Techland [1] (Dying Light 2 Release Date), [2] (Dying Light 2 Pre-order Bonuses), and [3] (Dying Light 2 Collector's Edition)

Finishing this off, there is a rumor or leak concerning Valve working on a gaming console, and VideoCardz has a handy write-up on this. The source for this is a SteamDB website operator, Pavel Djundik, examining the latest Steam beta client. What was found was the codename "SteamPal" and it was made with a reference to the unreleased "Neptune" controller, which was actually spotted in Steam client code in September last year.

In addition to this, Ars Technica claims its sources SteamPal is in fact a console Valve is working on, it will run Linux, and that it will be similar in layout to the Nintendo Switch. It is only in an early prototype stage, however, so aspects of its design may change, but the sources also claim it will be launched this year. Another rumor suggests an AMD APU, likely based on the Van Gogh design with Zen 2 CPU cores and Navi 2 GPU compute units, would power the device. In theory, it could prove to be architecturally similar to the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, but with the ability to play your Steam library on it.

Whether you treat this as a leak or a rumor, with the possible release date being near the end of the year, any and all of this may change.

Source: VideoCardz

May 27, 2021

Permalink for 'Next@Acer 2021 Announces New Devices, Technology, and Sustainability Mission'

10:49

Next@Acer 2021 Announces New Devices, Technology, and Sustainability Mission

Acer held its 2021 next@Acer event today, where the company shows off a variety of new devices and technologies arriving in the future. The presentation was streamed on YouTube and the archive is embedded at the end, for those interested in watching it, though be aware there were some technical difficulties at the start.

Following the order of the video, Acer began by announcing it has joined the RE100 initiative, which is to use 100% renewable energy by 2035. The company's name for its sustainability mission is Earthion, which it derives from combining Earth and Mission. In addition to its RE100 goal, it will also be trying to improve its design and materials use, such as by using recycled materials where possible. In 2020 all of its laptop packaging was made from recycled paper, but the more interesting announcement may be its Aspire Vero laptop constructed partially from recycled plastic.

The Aspire Vero uses recycled plastic for its chassis (30% recycled plastic) and keyboard caps (50% recycled plastic) and no paint is used on the chassis to achieve its yellow and volcano grey aesthetic. Speaking of the keyboard, the R and E keys have their legends reversed in a reference to REduce, REuse, and REcycle.

Inside the Aspire Vero is an 11^th Gen Intel Core CPU with its Iris X^e graphics. This is paired with up to 1 TB of m.2 storage and for connectivity there is Intel Wi-Fi 6, one USB Type-C port, two USB 3.2 ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port. Accessing the internals will be easier than on some laptops, as standardized screws are used and part of Acer's mission is repairability and upgradability to extend product lifespans.

Source: Acer [1] (Sustainability 'Earthion' Mission and Aspire Vero)

Acer next moved to its new Thin and Light offerings, starting with the business focused TravelMate P6 series. Both the TravelMate P6 and Spin P6 models will feature Intel's 11^th Gen Core vPro CPUs paired with up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1 TB of NVMe storage. The display is 14 inches with 100% sRGB gamut coverage, and sports a resolution of 1920x1200, which is 16:10, rather than the more common 16:9. This extra height can reduce the need to scroll as much, but it can also just be handy to hold a full 1920x1080 window on screen and still have access to things behind it, like the task bar.

Both models are just 16.8 mm thick, with the Spin P6 and its 360º rotating screen starting at a weight of 1.0 Kg (2.2 lbs.) while the normal TravelMate P6 starts at 1.1 Kg (2.4 lbs.). Their chassis are made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy to give them strength while remaining light and the battery can offer up to 20 hours the TravelMate P6. If that is not enough, fast charging can get you to 80% within an hour. For connectivity they support Wi-Fi 6 and offer eSim/USim-enabled 5G along with USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Thunderbolt 4, a microSD slot, and NFC for sharing content and making payments. For those concerned about others looking at your screen, Acer PrivacyPanel can be enabled to reduce the viewing angle to just 90º.

Both the TravelMate P6 and TravelMate Spin P6 are to be available in North America in December with the former starting at $1299.99 and the latter at $1399.99.

Source: [2] (TravelMate P6 Series)

Another addition to the Thin and Light category is the Swift X that will offer AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Inside the 17.9 mm (0.7 in), 1.39 Kg (3.06 lbs.) chassis you can have up to a Ryzen 7 5800U CPU and 16 GB of RAM paired with the RTX 3050 Ti but the battery can still last for 17 hours. The 14 inch display is 1920x1080 with 100% sRGB coverage and a brightness of up to 300 nits. Connectivity includes USB Type-C, two USB Type-A ports, and an HDMI port.

The Swift X is to be available in North America in June with a starting price of $899.99.

Source: [3] (Swift X)

For content creators, Acer covered announced some new ConceptD offerings, and the new SpatialLabs technology. SpatialLabs offers stereoscopic 3D by combining a lenticular display with gaze tracking. This allows the display to adapt the two images it sends to your eyes based on your position, so what you are viewing can actually react to your movement. This is achieved with additional external hardware, such as special glasses. Add-ons for SpatialLabs Model Viewer have been developed for Blender, Autodesk Fusion 360, ZBrush, and more. With PiStage for Maya an external monitor can also be used so you can edit on the 2D display and then look at the 3D result on the SpatialLabs display. The SpatialLags Developer Program for Unreal Engine was announced as well, and those who enroll in the program will receive a ConceptD SpatialLabs prototype notebook. Application for this program closes on June 30.

Source: [4] (SpatialLabs)

Besides the futuristic SpatialLabs announcement, Acer also revealed updated ConceptD 5 and ConceptD 5 Pro models. Both of these new versions will offer 11^th Gen Intel Core H-series CPUs paired with either NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series (ConceptD 5) or an RTX A3000 or RTX A5000 laptop GPUs (ConeptD 5 Pro). Both are backed by the NVIDIA Studio ecosystem. Like the TravelMate P6 laptops covered above, the displays are 16:10 so you have more space to work in, with a resolution of 3072x1920. They also cover 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut and have a color accuracy of Delt E<2. For storage you can have up to 2 TB of SSD storage in RAID 0 for optimal speed and connectivity includes dual USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, HDMI 2.1, and an SD 7.0 card slot.

Though not featured in the stream, the ConceptD 7 Ezel, ConceptD 3, and ConceptD 3 Ezel convertible laptops have been updated. All three of these laptops now offer 11^th Gen Intel Core CPUs, though the ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro can have up to an Intel Xeon W-11955M CPU. The Concept D 7 Ezel can have up to an RTX 3080 while the 7 Ezel Pro offers the RTX A3000 or RTX A5000 GPU while the ConceptD 3 and ConceptD 3 Ezel only offer the NVIDIA T1200 laptop GPU. You can find more of these laptop's specs in the source link below.

For availability, the ConceptD 5 is to be available in August with a starting price of $1999.99. The ConceptD 7 Ezel will start at $2499.99. The ConceptD 3 Ezel is coming to North America in December, starting at $1599.99.

Source: [5] (ConceptD)

The last products covered in the stream were those under the gaming-focused Predator brand, starting with the Predator CG437K S display. This is a 42.5 inch 4K display that has been revealed before, but has been updated with HDMI 2.1 support. With this new standard a single cable can provide 4K 144 Hz with Variable Refresh Rate support. It features VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification with a peak brightness of 1000 nites, 90% coverage of DCI-P3, and a Delta E<1 rating. The display also has a USB hub with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, and a USB Type-C port. With a built-in KVM switch, you can swap between multiple PCs without needing to juggle input devices. The monitor includes RGB lighting strips too, for those that want to illuminate their environment based on what they are watching.

Though not shown in the stream, the Predator X38 S and Predator X28 displays have also been announced. The former is a curved display with a 2300R curve and 3840x1600 resolution that covers 98% of DCI-P3 and has DisplayHDR 600 certification. When overclocked it can reach 175 Hz and has a 0.3 ms grey-to-grey response time. The Predator X28 is a 28 inch flat display with a resolution of 3840x2160 and DisplayHDR 400 certification. It can reach a refresh rate of 155 Hz when overclocked and offers 1 ms grey-to-grey response time.

The Predator CG437K S is to be available in November, starting at $1799.99. The Predator X38 S is arriving in September and starts at $1999.99, while the Predator X28 launches in August with a starting price of $1299.99.

Source: [6] (Predator Displays)

Now for the new Predator Triton and Helios series laptops, both of which feature 11^th Gen Intel Core H-series CPUs paired with GeForce RTX 30-series laptop GPUs. The Triton 500 SE will offer up to a Core i9 CPU with RTX 3080, 64 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM, and 4 TB of PCIe 4 SSD storage all packed into a 19.9 mm thick chassis. With NVIDIA Advanced Optimus you can get up to 12 hours of battery life too. Connectivity includes Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports with two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports that support DisplayPort and an SD 7.0 card reader. For the display a 16:10 aspect ratio will be used, but you have multiple options covering not only resolution and speed, but also type. There is a 165 Hz WQXFA LCD panel, 165 HZ WQXGA Mini LED panel with 1250 nit peak brightness and 100% sRGB coverage, and a 240 HZ WQXGA IPS PolarBlack panel with 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

The Helios 500 similarly offers up to a Core i9 and RTX 3080 paired with as much as 64 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. For storage there can be a pair of NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 and a SATA HDD for extra storage. It too offers multiple panel types with a 4K Mini LED 120 display using AUO AmLED technology, supporting 512 backlighting zones across the 1.3 inch display. If speed is more desirable, you can instead opt for a 1920x1080 display with 360 Hz refresh rate. The Helios 500 also offers a lot if you really enjoy RGB as it features per-key RGB backlighting and RGB strips on the bottom edge of the chassis, allowing you to illuminate the surface the laptop is on. The WASD keys can be changed out with Racing or MagForce keys, allowing for the analog-like inputs available with controller joysticks.

For ports the Helios 500 has an HDMI 2.1, mini-DP 1.4, two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, with one supporting offline charging, and an RJ45 port. Intel Killer E3100 Ethernet controller and Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 are used for network connectivity, and there is the option for Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro 5G, enabling you to connect via 5G so you can game in more places. It will also route over 5G or Wi-Fi, depending on which connection will be faster.

Two 5G dongles were announced as well, with the Predator Connect D5 5G providing its Intel Killer Network Solution over a USB 3.1 Type-C port. It can also be used to make your computer a 5G Wi-Fi hotspot and can be configured to use Killer DoubleShot Pro 5G for dual connectivity. The Predator Connect X5 5G CPE Router goes further as it enables up to 256 devices to connect to it over Wi-Fi 6 and has two LAN ports and one WAN port. Powering it is a quad-core 2 GHz ARM Cortex processor with 1 GB of DDR4 memory and 1 GB of flash storage.

The Predator Triton 500 SE will be available in North America in June and start at $1749.99 while the Helios 500 is arriving in August and starts at $2499.99.

Source: [7] (Predator Laptops)

Next@Acer 2021 Announces New Devices, Technology, and Sustainability Mission

May 26, 2021

Permalink for 'Unreal Engine 5 Released in Early Access Form'

15:10

Unreal Engine 5 Released in Early Access Form

Just over a year ago, Epic Games revealed Unreal Engine 5 and some of the advanced technologies it will feature, such as Nanite and Lumen. Today the company not only showed off additional features and changes coming with the next generation of its engine, but even released an Early Access build to enable developers to start experimenting with it. The video embedded below shows off several of these changes, for those interested in what is coming, but perhaps not in working with UE5 directly.

As a refresher, Nanite is a virtualized micropolygon geometry system which enables the engine to work with assets built from millions of polygons. Traditionally such assets would need to be recreated with fewer polygons, possibly building details into normal maps, and with LODs so distant assets do not consume too much performance. With Nanite, however, the engine will handle the millions of triangles per asset without any special conversion, and without the need for LODs. The assets can simply be placed in the world and the engine will handle the rest.

Lumen is a fully dynamic global illumination system that produces believable indirect lighting that will react to changes in direct lighting or geometry. It achieves this without relying on pre-baked lightmaps or having to place reflection captures. Besides improved lighting within games, this will also make some of the work easier for developers and artists, as lights can be placed inside the Unreal Editor and what is shown there will be the same as what is seen by the end-user.

For new features shared today, there is the World Partition system that should prove quite useful to those working on open world games. With this UE5 will automatically divide a map into a grid of cells, and through the editor selected cells can be loaded and unloaded. This way developers do not need to load the entire map to work in one location, reducing the time needed to edit. This is also applied at runtime as well, as only the cells within a certain radius of the player will be streamed in, and that radius can be customized. The One File Per Actor system makes it so changes are applied on actors rather than maps, making collaboration easier as multiple people can work on the same map without needing to worry about if their edits will survive a merge.

Another new feature is Data Layers that has the potential to open up how game worlds change, such as through gameplay or with day-night cycles. As the name suggests, it acts like layers in image and graphic editors, allowing one to turn on and off collections of assets for a single game world. In the demo video, a Dark World version of the setting was created as a separate layer that the player then 'entered' through a specific interaction, triggering all of the additional assets to be streamed in.

Epic Games has also improved animation tools in UE5, which could prove very powerful for artists that have had to use workflows that take them out of the game engine to make changes. Control Rig allows one to quickly make rigs for characters that can be shared with others, and the new Pose Browser treats animations like assets, for saving and applying them. The Full-Body IK solver and Motion Warping features are quite interesting as well, as they enable the engine to dynamically adjust motions without having to rely on multiple animations. One example shown in the video is with the IK solver adapting the rig of the playable character to the ground she is standing on, to make her pose appear more natural. Another has an enemy shift its arm during an attack, reacting to the position and movement of the player. Motion Warping was then used to apply a single vault animation designed for getting over one piece of debris, to work with other objects of different sizes.

Not counting the various UI changes to the editor, the last feature documented in the Epic Games source below is MetaSounds. This system enables developers to have greater control over audio, and to make it more dynamic and data-driven. Audio can be procedurally generated with this to better react to the situation, with the given analogy being a fully programmable material and rendering pipeline.

Another feature mentioned in the demo video and in the AMD source link is Temporal Super Resolution. This will be a standard feature for UE5 and enabled for all GPUs across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. In the video it is stated this allows for near 4K levels of detail at the cost of 1080p, and it is described as an anti-aliasing method as well.

The current goal is to have Unreal Engine 5 ready for its full release in early 2022, with additional improvements to performance and quality, as well as new features for creators across multiple industries.

Source: Epic Games and AMD

May 21, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 17, 2021'

20:37

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 17, 2021

This has been a fairly busy and interesting week, but as it comes to its end, it is time to cover some of the video game news from it. To start we have a couple time-sensitive news items, for specifically a couple sales. At the end I will do my best to cover the recently published AMD patent for "Gaming Super Resolution," which may cover the underlying technology to its upcoming FidelityFX Super Resolution competitor to NVIDIA's DLSS, but the gaming news first.

If you are looking to expand your library of games, the Epic Games Store has begun a new Epic MEGA Sale, which means a lot of the titles in its library are on sale. Being a MEGA sale also means the return of the Epic Coupons, which are $10 off any purchase of $14.99 or more, and it is renewable. With each eligible purchase you make, you get another of these and they are good until June 17, which is also when the sale ends. The weekly game giveaway will also continue during this sale, with NBA 2K21 being the first free title.

Source: Epic Games

The second sale going on is at GOG, with this one celebrating the 10^th anniversary of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and 6^th anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, both of which are easy recommendations for me to make for RPG fans. Not just these two games are on sale, but all of CD Projekt Red's games, which includes Cyberpunk 2077. This sale ends on May 24, so you do not have quite as much time to make up your mind, but, if it helps, some of games are 80% or 85% off.

Source: GOG

The Arcade Crew and Ishtar Games have revealed more information on the upcoming The Last Spell tactical defense RPG, including its Steam Early Access release date. On June 3 you can start your fight to protect Haven, as its mages are humanity's last chance at banishing the magic spawning the hordes of monsters attacking. You will need to plan your attacks and carefully fortify the city to survive, and if you fail, learn from the defeat to ultimately claim victory. The game features some roguelite elements, including the enemy waves being procedurally generated with randomized stashes of gear, so the player must adapt to the scenarios they find themselves in.

When the game enters Early Access on June 3, it will be priced at $19.99 but for the first two weeks there will also be a 10% discount.

Source: Press Release (The Arcade Crew) and The Last Spell Steam Store Page

There are a couple of items from Dear Villagers this week, starting with Edge of Eternity getting a new gamplay trailer. The game itself is reaching full release for PC on June 8, with that update adding ten hours of additional gameplay and bringing the story to an end. This new trailer provides eight minutes of gameplay with Micah Solusod, the voice of Daryon, narrating it. The player will follow Daryon and Selene on their quest to cure the all-consuming Corrosion and save Heryon from its mysterious invaders.

Source: Dear Villagers [1] (Edge of Eternity)

The other item from this publisher is a narrated walkthrough trailer for The Forgotten City. This trailer is also eight minutes and the narrator is Steven Kelly, the voice of Galerius, as the city is shown off, including some of the intrigues and dangers players can expect, but it is spoiler free. This narratively driven, murder mystery game is derived from a popular mod that won a Writer's Guild Award and has been downloaded over three million times. In it you enter a city from the Roman Empire that is home to 23 people. These citizens are immortal except for the Golden Rule, where if one person commits a crime, they all die. Your purpose is to uncover who is going to commit the crime and stop them, but if you fail, time is reset and you get to try again.

The Forgotten City is set to arrive on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch in July.

Source: Dear Villagers [2] (The Forgotten City)

Turning to Deep Silver new, we again have a couple items, with the first pertaining to Iron Harvest as information on a new sub-faction and a new trailer have been released for its upcoming Operation Eagle expansion. This new sub-faction is Arabia, a nation with many tribes, producing complex politics, while also being rich in trade and oil. The Empire of Saxony has the need for these resources, and so has occupied this nation's land to claim them, and the current king has accepted this concession to avoid conflict. However, not all of the tribes are as allowing of Saxony's presence, but without the machines to challenge their war mechs, there is little they can do. In desperation, the king secretly reached out to Usonia, hoping it will help Arabia reclaim its independence. The new trailer depicts some of this as it covers the story of this expansion

Iron Harvest: Operation Eagle is launching on May 27 on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG with a price of $19.99. Steam will have an exclusive standalone version of Operation Eagle, containing just its content as well as the Polania tutorial levels, and complete access to all multiplayer modes.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver â Iron Harvest: Operation Eagle)

The other bit of news from Deep Silver is one I suspect many will be happy to see as the publisher has announced the formation of a new studio that will work on bringing back TimeSplitters. This new studio may appear familiar to those fans of TimeSplitters, as it a reformation of Free Radical Design, keeping that name and several of the original team members, including founders Steve Ellis and David Doak. It will be some months before work on the next game in the TimeSplitters series commences as right now the focus is on building the studio.

Source: Press Release (Deep Silver â Time Splitters)

Once again I have a couple announcements from a publisher, this time Devolver Digital, starting with the announcement of Phantom Abyss. It is an asynchronous multiplayer game where players race through procedurally generated temples, hunting for relics. That may seem odd, an asynchronous race, but the way it works is the last relic, hidden the deepest in the temple will seal the temple, so only one player can get it. If you die or pick up any of the other relics, you will leave the temple and never visit it again. Helping you on your attempt will be the ghosts of up to 50 other players that attempted a run before you, perhaps succeeding at collecting a different relic or being killed by a trap. With Temple Codes you can share a particular temple with friends, and with an Adventure Code you can provide a playlist.

Phantom Abyss is scheduled to enter Steam Early Access and be streaming on GeForce NOW this Summer.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital â Phantom Abyss)

The other bit of news I have from Devolver Digital is a new trailer for Shadow Warrior 3, showcasing some of the weapons and upgrades players will get to wield when it releases later this year. These weapons include the Crimson Bull grenade launcher, The Outlaw pistol, Sidekicks dual SMGs, and the Dragontail sword. For the Crimson Bull the Sucker Punch upgrade was shown, which appeared to show the grenade being able to bounce off the ground and track to its target. The Outlaw has the Igniter upgrade and Poppin' Heads upgrade, both of which I think have self-explanatory names. The Sidekicks' featured upgrade was the Paralyzer that also dealt electrical damage, at least temporarily paralyzing enemies while they were being shocked.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital â Shadow Warrior 3)

We have a new trailer from Koch Media, Mattel, and Milestone for Hot Wheels Unleashed, this time showing of the College Campus racing environment. This location has three main areas, the library, classroom, and chemistry lab with players be able to build courses that will twist through each, using the main hallway as the connector, unless you wish to use the ventilation system.

Six additional Hot Wheels cars were also shown featured in the trailer. The Street Wiener, Total Disposal, Power Rocket, Skull Crusher, Tanknator, Winning Formula, and Exotique are all going to be among the over 60 vehicles available when the game launches at the end of September.

Source: Press Release (Koch Media)

Modus Games is up now as this publisher has shared when Rustler will be releasing to PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. Those looking forward to the opportunity to terrorize peasants with hay bales, horse larceny, and other crimes, all to win the Grand Tournament, need only wait until August 31. In this game you play as Guy, a brigand whose goal is to win the tournament for its illustrious prize, but getting there will require some criminal activity first.

If you are curious now or simply not wanting to wait, you can check out its demo currently available on Steam and/or purchase it in its Early Access form.

Source: Modus Games and Steam Store Page

Biomutant, a long anticipated game from THQ Nordic is finally releasing next week, so a new trailer has been revealed to cover certain features and system. This Explanation trailer covers such content as crafting as well as the Aura system, and is shared as a sit-down with the Art & Creative Director at the developer, Experiment 101, Stefan Ljungqvist. There really is a fair amount of information here, so if you are interested in the game, it is probably going to be worth checking this trailer out.

Source: THQ Nordic

Finishing this week off, we have some news concerning AMD as a patent submitted in November 2019 has been published, allowing everyone to see at least one super resolution technology the company was working on. Technically this might not be the technology underlying the upcoming FidelityFX Super Resolution, but even if that is the case, it can still be interesting to read about this method of using lower-resolution images to generate a higher resolution output. Both the VideoCardz write-up on this and the patent itself are the source links below.

Though my understanding of the various graphics technologies involved might not be enough to fully grasp how this method works, but it does appear this method is very different from NVIDIA's DLSS. For one thing it does not rely on deep learning, and even states "deep learning techniques do not, however, incorporate important aspects of the original image, resulting in lost color and lost detail information." Instead it works by taking a lower resolution image and generating linear down-sampled versions of it and non-linear down-sampled versions, and by combining information from these images with convolutional operation, the pixels of the output image are produced. Translating that as best as I can, this method works by taking a low-resolution image and then performs a down-sampling action, using both linear and non-linear upscaling methods, to create many versions of the image. Features from these generated images are then used to determine the final pixels for the output image, which is at a higher resolution than the original image. In Claim 6, it is indicated the output resolution is directly related to the number of the down-sampled images used. Something I think worth noting about these down-sampled versions contain color and non-color features, as well as features which have color and non-color information, so it is not just colors being look at here. A couple other points are there is no mention of temporal accumulation and this method is applicable to a large number of devices, not just GPUs for computers.

I feel mentioning the lack of temporal information being used here is important, as that is presently an important aspect of how DLSS works, so clearly these two operate differently. Something I personally wonder is how memory intensive this method might be, as it describes multiple images being generated and used to arrive at the output image. Only time will tell, or not, as this might not be the basis or a contributing technology to FidelityFX Super Resolution.

Source: VideoCardz and USPTO

May 14, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 10, 2021'

11:58

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 10, 2021

Another Friday and so another collection of video game news stories to go through, starting with a time-limited offer at GOG. Those interested in the games set within the World of Darkness such as the Vampire: The Masquerade series will find them on sale at this digital storefront. This sale is going until May 20 and those who purchase all five individual games or are completing their collection, will get an extra 10% off. Both Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York and Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York have their standard and deluxe editions on sale, for a total of seven items, and purchasing either version of these two will get you the extra 10% off.

Source: GOG (World of Darkness Universe Sale)

Next we have some news from Devolver Digital as a couple teasers of the upcoming Shadow Warrior 3 have been released. Both show off different locations and some of the environmental traps that can be used to efficiently eliminate enemies. In one teaser a new enemy and its gore weapon were revealed, while the other features the grenade launcher. I have embedded the earlier of the two released, which shows off the Seeking Shokera enemy and Seeking Eye gore weapon, while the other is linked to here: Shadow Warrior 3 – Sneak Peek 'Motoko's Thunderdome.'

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

HandyGames had some news this week, including the announcement of One Hand Clapping coming to Steam Early Access on June 10. In this game players are tasked with saving the world from eternal silence using your voice. As you progress, the game teaches you to be better control your voice or other musical talents as whistling, humming, and instruments can all work too. The game is in development for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Android and iOS.

Source: HandyGames [1] (One Hand Clapping)

Also announced by HandyGames is the retail release of Through the Darkest of Times. This game is set in 1933, Germany, when the Nazis are in power and you form a resistance group with others trying to oppose their tyranny. The decisions you make can endanger yourself and those of the strangers you meet and your group as well. Will those decisions be to save your own life or protect others, even as the Gestapo interrogates you?

This retail release will be for PC and have a suggested price of $19.99.

Source: HandyGames [2] (Through the Darkest of Times)

Stardock has announced Galactic Civilizations IV earlier this week, the next installment for its series of space-based 4X, strategy, sandbox games, and this one is going to feature a rather important design change from its predecessors, including Galactic Civilizations III that released in 2015. A focus of the gameplay will be dealing with AI characters, as each civilization is going to be made up of many, each with their own agendas, including your own.

Another significant change from the previous games, which is going to interact with these new AI, is the scale of the map. Before the map of stars with planets around them were generated when you started a game, after picking the map size. Now these clusters of stars are individual sectors as Subspace Streams have expanded to game to cover the galaxy. That means there will be far more worlds to manage, which would likely be too much for a human player to deal with, so a Core world/Colony world design has been created along with AI governors.

Colonies exist for the singular purpose of producing resources that are sent to the Core world. What distinguishes a Core world from a Colony is the presence of Leader character you have recruited and placed as a governor. Depending on their skills and talents, you will unlock different features and get different resources, but they also have their own egos. These leaders can come to disapprove of your actions, especially if you use an executive order to bypass them, and they can take issues with the actions of other leaders too. Rather than just having external threats to deal with, in Galactic Civilizations IV, you will also need to address potential domestic issues.

Other changes include the replacing of the traditional campaign with "Missions," that are story-driven, but will enable the experience to be different each playthrough. The ideology tree has been removed as well, to better enable the player to develop the civilization they wish, from liberty and collectivism to authoritarianism and anarchy. New alien species have been added as well, given the greater scale of the game.

Because of how significant these changes are, Galactic Civilizations IV will enter early access later this Spring at an Alpha phase, rather than the more common Beta phase. This is so player feedback can be incorporated earlier in the development process.

Source: Stardock [1] (Galactic Civilizations IV), [2] (GalCiv IV Info Guide), and [3] (GalCiv IV Dev Journal #1)

THQ Nordic is up now starting with its opening of a merchandise store. Coming from a partnership with Snap Creative and Itemlab, you can find products from Destroy All Humans!, the Darksiders franchise, and Kingdoms of Amalur, to name a few of the already available games. Biomutant is releasing soon but you can order a 12 inch plush of the hero today to help pass the time until launch.

Also this week, THQ Nordic acquired some new studios: Appeal Studios SA; KAIKO GmbH; and Massive Miniteam GmbH. Appeal Studio you may recognize as the creator behind the 1999 title Outcast and KAIKO has worked on several ports, including Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered, Darksiders: Warmastered, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (reviews are of older versions of these games), and the recent Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning and its upcoming Fatesworn expansion. Massive Miniteam was actually acquired by HandyGames, which is under THQ Nordic as a studio and publisher, and the two are working together on several titles.

Also under the larger Embracer Group, Ampliefier Game Invest AB has acquired FRAME BREAK AB, a studio founded just last year. This studio will continue to develop games based on its own IP with a focus on replayable co-op experiences for PC and console.

Source: THQ Nordic [1] (Merch Store) and Embracer Group [2] (Acquisitions)

Lastly we have some non-game news relating to AMD. The first comes from Anandtech as the site is reporting AMD and GlobalFoundries have amended their wafer supply agreement. When AMD spun off its manufacturing capability, creating GlobalFoundries with other partners, the original version of this agreement was signed, ensuring AMD exclusively purchased so wafers from it. This agreement has been revised before, such as when GlobalFoundries decided to end its leading-edge development of 7 nm, with an amendment enabling AMD to go elsewhere for more advanced processes, but for older processes, having to remain with GlobalFoundries. With this new amendment though, AMD has been released from all exclusivity, but has still agreed to certain purchasing targets for 2022, 2023, and 2024. The expectation is for AMD to purchase some $1.6 billion in wafers over those three years.

Source: Anandtech

Also from AMD, the company has released Radeon Rays v4.1, which is important for one specific change it has brought over v4.0. When the previous version released last year and brought support for Vulkan and DirectX 12, it also ceased to be open-source, despite being part of GPUOpen. With v4.1, this ray intersection acceleration library is once again open source and available on GitHub under the MIT license. It also has a new logging mechanism for debugging and a set of tests to help check nothing is broken within the library when making changes.

Now that this hardware agnostic library with support for Windows 10 and Linux is open source again, it will be interesting to see how developers may put it to use.

Source: GPUOpen and Phoronix

May 11, 2021

Permalink for 'New Gaming Laptops from Acer with 11th Gen Intel CPUs'

8:09

New Gaming Laptops from Acer with 11th Gen Intel CPUs

Acer has announced multiple new gaming laptops today, featuring Intel's 11^th Gen Core H-series CPUs paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 laptop series GPUs. The new laptops are updates to the Predator Triton 300, Predator Helios 300, and Nitro 5 series. The Triton 300 is just under 20 mm thick, making it possible to slip into a backpack or briefcase while still being able to feature a CPU capable of reaching 4.6 GHz paired with up to an RTX 3080 and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. To keep the components cool in its all-metal chassis, Acer is using its 5^th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan design for one of the two fans in the case. This design sports 89 blades with a special wing tip to increase airflow without producing turbulence, resulting in 55% better airflow than a plastic fan. The CPU and GPU also have dedicated heat pipes and the intake and exhaust vents have been placed to optimize cooling efficiency.

Other features of the laptop include four zones for its RGB keyboard backlighting, with the WASD keys being specially colored to stand out. The display can be either a 165 Hz QHD (2560x1440) or 360 Hz FHD (1920x1080), so you can prioritize resolution or speed. For network connectivity it features Intel Killer E2600G Ethernet, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i, and Control Center 2.0 for better latency. Other ports include HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB Type-C port with support for Thunderbolt 4, and a Mini DisplayPort 1.4 connection.

The new Predator Helios 300 also features up to an 11^th Gen Intel Core H-Series CPU paired with up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, but the GPU choice only goes up to the RTX 3070. Keeping The advanced AeroBlade 3D fan design is again used to keep these components cool and the 17 inch model also includes Acer's Vortex Flow Design concept, so the aerodynamic flows should improve the cooling between the CPU and GPU, keeping the case cooler. Like the Triton 300, the display choices are a 360 Hz FHD or 165 Hz QHD panel. The keyboard too has four RGB zones and this time the WASD keys have see-through keycaps, to help them stand out. A Turbo key is also present for instant overclocking and a dedicated PredatorSense key will open the laptop's custom utility app that can be used for monitoring or overlocking the system, as well as managing its RGB and more. For storage, you can have up to a 2 TB hard drive installed.

The connectivity is similar between these two Predator laptops, as the Helios 300 also features the Intel Killer E2600 Ethernet controller and Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i with Control Center 2.0 for network connectivity. For other ports, it has an HDMI 2.1 port, a range of USB 3.2 ports, a USB-C port with support for Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort functionality, and power delivery.

Coming to the Acer Nitro 5, it too can combine up to an 11^th Gen Core H-Series CPU with 32 GB of DDR 4 RAM and up to an RTX 3070 GPU. The display options are only 165 Hz QHD, but in either a 15.6 inch or 17.3 inch size. For storage you can have a pair of m.2 SSDs using either PCIe or SATA, configured for up to 2 TB of storage or a 1 TB RAID 0 array for greater speed. To cool the laptop it has two fans and four vents placed for intake or exhaust, and Acer Coolboost technology allows for improved fan speed compared to auto mode, keeping the CPU and GPU cooler. The dedicated NitroSense key allows users to monitor system performance and select from cooling modes, both presets and a custom mode. NitroSense will also allow you to apply system tweaks such as LCD overdrive or Acer TrueHarmony's six sound modes.

Like the other two updated laptops, the keyboard on the new Nitro 5 has four RGB zones. For connectivity there is an RJ45 port for Ethernet connectivity, HDMI 2.1, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a USB Type-C port supporting Thunderbolt 4. The charging port has been moved to the back to give the laptop a more organized appearance.

As for availability, the Predator Triton 300 will be available in July and starting at $1699. Both versions of the Nitro 5 will be available in June, with the 15 in version starting at $1099 and the 17 in version starting at $1299.

Source: Acer

May 07, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 3, 2021'

13:54

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of May 3, 2021

With our first week of May coming to an end, there is a collection of video game news to go through, starting with a couple sales going on at the moment. The first started on Monday but there is still time as GOG's Polish Games Festival continues until May 10. This is in celebration of Constitution Day in Poland and has a number of titles on sale, from classics and indies to AAA games including Dying Light, Frostpunk, and the Sniper Ghost Warrior series. GOG has also partnered with Razer for this sale by offering a 15% discount on peripherals in the Razer Store for those that make a purchase on GOG and sign up to the storefront's newsletter.

Source: GOG [1] (Sale Information) and [2] (Sale Items)

Over on Steam, a Devolver Digital publisher sale began yesterday and is going until May 11. Every item in its catalog is on sale, including GRIS, Loop Hero, and Serious Sam 4.

ENTER THE GUNGEON is on sale at 50% off and celebrating its 5^th birthday with a Deluxe Anniversary Edition vinyl from Laced Records. It contains the game's complete soundtrack along with tracks from Exit the Gungeon and is packaged in a triple LP sleeve. This is a limited edition release, exclusive to the Devolver store that can be pre-ordered now. Ship will begin in November.

Source: Press Release and Enter the Gungeon Vinyl Deluxe Edition

The last bit of time-sensitive news I have this week is not for a sale, but a special event in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege as its Apocalypse Event is only going until May 18. This event introduces a post-apocalyptic version of Outback, challenging players to fight for their clan and the hope to revitalize life. These clans are the Keepers and the Warband and in the new Canister game mode, the Keepers will be defending the last plant on Earth, while the Warband hunts for it. While the Keepers can move the canister around the map, the Warband can use a scanner to detect them in specific rooms. The Warband need to defuse the canister to win, while the Keepers need to make it until time expires, though either side eliminating the other will also secure a victory.

This event has a collection of 35 items for several operators, with these being available for purchase as bundles for 1680 R6 credits, or through Apocalypse Packs priced at 300 R6 credits or 12,500 Renown.

Source: Ubisoft (Rainbow Six Siege)

We have some more news from Devolver Digital as a new trailer has been released for the upcoming Shadow Warrior 3. In this video we get a look at the "Doomsday Device" mission set on a mountainside, as well as the Gassy Obariyon enemy. When fighting enemies, it can be possible to retrieve from them a Gore Weapon that, though limited in use, can be quite powerful, and from this enemy comes the Double Trouble minigun. The video also shows the use of environmental traps to eliminate groups of enemies.

Source: Press Release (Devolver Digital)

There is good news for anyone who thought the preview of Going Medieval a couple months ago was interesting as The Irregular Corporation has announced the game will be entering early access on June 1. The settlement management game set in the Dark Ages, after a plague has wiped out much of Europe's population will be available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG with a price of $24.99, though there will also be a 10% launch discount. A final beta phase is being held from May 21 to the 24 and you can sign up for it on Steam and the Epic Games Store now or during the beta period. Personally I found the preview to show a fair amount of promise and am looking forward to what a more complete experience will offer.

Source: The Irregular Corporation (Going Medieval)

Rebellion's Zombie Army 4 has begun its Season 3 this week, bringing with it a new campaign mission, Terminal Error. This is the first mission of a three-part campaign titled "Return to Hell" as a transmission has led you and fellow deadhunters to a derelict base on the Italian coast. You will need to fight through the massive, open-ended level to bring an end to the sinister machinations operating in the shadows. This single mission can be purchased for $6.99 while Season Pass 3 is available for $34.99.

This new season is bringing more than just paid content though, as a Nightmare Mode has been added for those who truly want to test their zombie-killing skills. You can bring one friend with you, but with the new enemy distribution throughout the campaign, and tougher combinations, you will have to see if that will be enough. A new Horde Mode Map has also arrived for everyone, Frozen in Fear, and there is a new voice selection feature for the playable characters, allowing you to use whichever voice you want for each of them.

Ubisoft has released Update 1 or Title Update 4.0 for Watch Dogs: Legion this week, bringing with it new content, including some that is exclusive to the Season Pass holders. This includes the new playable hero character Mina Sidhu that can use the power of mind control to take over an enemy and the new DedSec Stories mission, Swipe Right.

For free content, the update includes two new operatives, the DJ and First Responder, the ability to customize Operatives' hair and body art, and five new Operative abilities: pickpocket; second wind; wanted; hoarder; and stuntman. That new content is for both the single-player campaign and online mode while the online mode gets the Dysfunction, Meltdown, and Repossession co-op missions, five new solo assignments, and two new co-op gadgets; the guardian drone and point defense drones.

At the end of May, all players will have access to two new PvP modes, Extraction and Invasion, and the new Tactical Op, Project Omni, for online mode. Season Pass owners will receive in late June the new Bloodline storyline that will include Aiden Pearce and Wrench from Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 as playable characters. Then in August, Darcy from the Assassin's Creed franchise will arrive as a new playable character, and new missions will be added as well.

Source: Ubisoft (Watch Dogs: Legion)

That wraps up the video game news, but there are still a couple of things worth sharing, including an update from Humble Bundle. Last week it had announced two changes to its bundles, with one being the removal of sliders, which have been used from the beginning to assign how much of any bundle sales goes to developers/publishers, Humble Bundle itself, and charity. With this removal, the percentage of a sale to go to these different parties would be set, and while there would be an option to increase the amount going to the featured charity, it was capped at 15%.

The response to this change was quite negative, and so Humble Bundle has walked it back, with sliders returning for all customers. The redesign to bundle pages is still going forward, but without the removal of the sliders. Humble Bundle does still wish to develop different approaches to the sliders and how splits work, but now recognize how important feedback from the community is before making changes.

Source: Humble Bundle

Lastly, UL has released a new benchmark for 3DMark, Wild Life Extreme. The original Wild Life benchmark was released last year and was cross platform for Windows, Android, and iOS. As the name suggests, Wild Life Extreme is a more demanding version with a rendering resolution of 3840x2160 and the addition of TAA, depth of field, more geometry, and more particles. It uses the Vulkan API on Windows and Android devices while iOS and Mac devices will use the Metal API and Windows 10 on ARM machines, it will use DirectX 12. Despite the variety of configurations, scares can still be compared across platforms and APIs. There is also a Stress Test version of it, to see how your device endures a long workload.

Wild Life Extreme is available as a free update for 3DMark Advanced Edition and the 3DMark Android benchmark app. To run it on an Android device, however, it must be on Android 10 or new, and with Vulkan Anisotropy feature support (level 16 and above).

Source: UL Benchmarks

April 30, 2021

Permalink for 'Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 26, 2021'

11:33

Various Video Game Stories from the Week of April 26, 2021