Happy this week, everybody! In my efforts to achieve the absolute tranquility needed to spend five days shovelling PC game news stories into a ravenous otherworldly monster, I often go for an early morning walk. I tend to do this while wearing my trusty, enveloping Honcho Poncho, because the UK summer is thoroughly behind us and the very air has begun to squelch. Anyway, while walking this morning I think I actually scared somebody into crossing the road. It turns out roaming around at sunrise near Halloween looking like a ringwraith is a great way to become a figure of menace. Sorry, neighbour! I'll wear that nice top hat and opera mask from my socialite days in future. Anyway, let us FEED THE MAW.
We open Monday 21st October with a fat nourishing dollop of infrastructure: the early access launch of Railroad Corporation 2 and the debut of Factorio's Space Age expansion. On Tuesday 22nd October, The Axis Unseen is here to spill heavy metal all over your Skyrim, while No More Room In Hell 2 caters to the undead-fanciers. Wednesday 23rd October is the birthday of the almost offensively chillaxed picture-puzzler Wilmot Works It Out, together with sumptuous deck-and-city builder Technotopia, but perhaps you'd prefer to be a horrible fly. Thursday 24th October sees a small army of indie releases and relative obscurities weathering the blast clouds generated by the launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 - that's smalltown Japanese life sim Shin Chan: Shiro And The Coal Town, the enchantingly dreary FPS Straftat, dynasty management RPG remake Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge Of The Seven, and Dead Cell's dashing younger sibling Windblown. As for Friday 25th October - well, let's keep it straightforward and pick just the one game, anime Star Foxer Rogue Flight.
You know the score: these are only my recommendations and might be shit. Your picks might differ. Should differ. Please give me a hard time in the comments. No really, I crave correction. Beyond that, please find our news liveblog below with the usual fitful landslide of gossip, and have an enjoyable week.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Key points- 08:00 am 10/25/2024 FRAWT FRIDAY
- 08:07 am 10/24/2024 THAWTFUL THURSDAY
- 07:58 am 10/23/2024 WAWFUL WEDNESDAY
- 08:12 am 10/22/2024 TAWRRIBLE TUESDAY
- 08:28 am 10/21/2024 MAWNFUL MONDAY
MAWNFUL MONDAY
Break out the ladles and head to the battlements! The Maw, it must be fed. FEED IT. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:40 am UTC A new retranslation mod for Final Fantasy 7 aims to be as close to the original Japanese as possible, via PC Gamer. Nic Reuben 08:41 am UTC No more 'shitty' games, promises Silent Hill 2 Remake developer Bloober Team, via VGC. Nic Reuben 08:57 am UTC One we missed from the tail-end of last week (I was at an event, Nic was neck-deep in a game that rhymes with Flagon Sage, and everybody else had been jailed for stealing the Queen's tarts): Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is coming to PC on 30th January 2025. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:00 am UTCThe final trailer for Factorio's Space Age expansion. We shall build ourselves a conveyor belt that girdles the universe.
Factorio: Space Age - Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:03 am UTCStrinova is an upcoming free-to-play anime shooter in which your characters can transform into 2D objects - turning themselves sideways to shrink their profiles, or wafting through the air like paper planes. It's got a demo.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:05 am UTCFachewachewa says: Tormenture releases today! It's a cool mix of Inscryption and Adventure (the game). You're a kid playing on your not-atari in a creepy room at night. It's full of secrets and the cursed game obviously starts leaking into reality
Oh yeah, I should have included this one in the round-up. Seems like a goer.
Tormenture - Launch Date Announcement Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:02 pm UTCOur strange bedfellows the Ian Games networkers have been talking to Black Ops 6 developers about the game's campaign, which has apparently had more time on the hob than Modern Warfare 3's poorly received singleplayer. "I do feel like we had good opportunities to keep crafting and recrafting the missions until we were happy with them," says Jon Zuk, associate creative director.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:03 pm UTCTotal conversion mod Fallout: Vault 13, which aimed to rebuild the original Fallout inside Fallout 4, is, alas, no longer in development.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:05 pm UTC As passed on by Gamesradar, Persona director Katsura Hashino has told Famitsu he's already got another RPG project in mind after Metaphor: ReFantazio. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:12 am UTCTAWRRIBLE TUESDAY
The Maw has sprouted caterpillar tracks! That's going to make a real mess of the lawn. Take up trowels and sprinklers and see if you can lure it into the treeline. FEED THE MAW. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:14 am UTCAs reported by VGC, Dave The Diver is getting some proper story DLC, and developers Mintrocket are also thinking about spin-off games for particular characters.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:24 am UTCThe Caves Of Qud developer is teasing something with a cryptic riddle. "{n} purple wardens beseech the Chair, What is death, if one rose is fair? How long from beetle moon to beetle moon?" At least one fan in the comments of this Steam post knows their lore enough to have translated this as: 12/5/24. That seems like a possible release date for version 1.0.
Brendan Caldwell 08:25 am UTC As reported by Gamefile, Netflix have shut down their flagship "AAA" development studio Team Blue. According to 343 and Bungie veteran Joseph Staten, who joined Team Blue in spring 2023, the studio were once working on "a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:28 am UTC Splendid free RPG Moonring has received a major update. "Welcome to The World of Wang!" declares the developer, before hastily clarifying that "Wang" refers to a new dungeon generation system that uses "Herringbone Wang Tiles". It's apparently much faster than what they had before. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:32 am UTCDungeons Of Hinterberg has been updated with a New Game+ mode. To celebrate, it's also 50% off on Steam till 4th November.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:36 am UTC Black Ops 6 multiplayer won't bring back the riot shield, a notorious troll weapon. The Fans Are Pleased. Or at least, that's how it's being characterised by the journalists who are more plugged into Call Of Duty's competitive scene than I am. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:37 am UTCHere's the launch trailer for Romancing SaGA 2: Revenge Of The Seven.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven | Overview Launch Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:14 am UTCDelta Force's open beta commences on 5th December.
The date is set: Operators can officially begin their #deltaforce journey when our Open Beta kicks off on PC from Dec 5🗓️⏳
But what do YOU want to see in the game when it launches?
Let us know below👇#DeltaForcePCOpenBeta #DeltaForceGenesis pic.twitter.com/98cAkkX9zH
WAWFUL WEDNESDAY
Up periscope and feed the Maw! Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:00 am UTC Via Eurogamer, Telltale have stated that The Wolf Among Us 2 is still in development following a reddit rumour that the project is at a "critical point where they might have no choice but to shelve it". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:05 am UTCHark, a new trailer for the Soul Reaver remasters, showing us the redesigned bosses.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered - Boss Reveal | PS5 & PS4 Games Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:14 am UTC Remedy think they "overdid it a little bit" with Alan Wake 2's jumpscares, the cowards. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:27 am UTC "It is hard to really define exactly what a "live service" game is nowadays," says Saber Interactive's Tim Willits. I think he is not wrong. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:29 am UTCState Of Decay 2 has received its final update, as developers Undead Labs switch over to full production on State Of Decay 3. "In this update we are addressing long-standing issues, introducing various Quality of Life improvements, and permanently unlocking previously gated or seasonal content, such as the Wizard Van and Winter outfits," they write.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:31 am UTCLethal Company is one year old. To celebrate, the developer has temporarily added birthday hats. Also, an "8% chance of a hoarding bug infestation". What's more, "buying and keeping furniture in the ship now gains you 'luck', which is factored into the amount that the quota increases when you fulfill it."
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:07 am UTCTHAWTFUL THURSDAY
All the bullets in the arsenal have become baubles. The Maw must have caught some of that pre-Xmas retail fever. FEED IT. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:08 am UTCSeekerX says: In free updates to existing games -- on Thursday 10/24, Slay the Princess is releasing a big update called The Pristine Cut, expanding the base game by like 35%. This sounds cool! And it totally justifies me having bought the base game and never gotten around to playing it because the friends I wanted to play it with got to it before I did. I was just saving the experience for the definitive version, really! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1989270/view/4661877875513622264
I have yet to Slay Any Princesses despite seeing the game before launch and thinking 'this is probably going to be a Thing'. Perhaps I'll manage to give the Pristine Cut a whirl.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:10 am UTC Ubisoft have confirmed to Eurogamer that a new Rayman project is currently in the "exploration phase" at their Montpelier and Milan studios, following an Insider Gaming report. I imagine some of the people who worked on Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown are now working on that. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:13 am UTCStardust Demon looks like a very swish action-platformer.
Stardust Demon Launch Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:15 am UTC We missed Pip My Dice's demo during Next Fest. It's Balatro, but for yahtzee not poker. You can stamp your own modifiers on individual dice faces, much as you can deface the cards in localthunk's game. Seems like it has potential. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:22 am UTC It was Fallout Day yesterday, as in, the start of the nuclear apocalypse in the world of Fallout. Happy Octoberween to you too, Bethesda. To celebrate, they've made a few announcements. Fallout 76 is getting a Gleaming Depths expansion - a big old-fashioned MMO raid. They're also adding pets to campsites, and letting you play as a Ghoul. "Playing as a ghoul opens up many new playstyles with the addition of ghoul-specific Perk cards and a new Feral meter," the blog notes. "You won't need to worry about hunger or thirst but remember, some people and factions just don't take kindly to ghouls." Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:51 am UTC As revealed on the Assassin's Creed discord, via Dualshockers, Ubisoft have stripped the three-day early access bonus from the Assassin's Creed Shadows Collectors Edition. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:02 am UTCGame Developer have a lengthy insider report on the blockchain company Forte Labs' purchase of Dauntless developers Phoenix Labs and Towers and Titans developers Rumble Games. According to unnamed former employees, Forte asked studio staff to keep the acquisition secret, even describing it as confidential information in hiring contracts. Game Developer suggests that one motivation may have been to avoid bad press regarding games with blockchain functionality.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 12:04 pm UTC Blizzard have announced a 'Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct' taking place 13th November, via our brothers-in-Ziff Eurogamer. "You won't want to miss a moment – or a single surprise," they say. For extra copium, notice how they also mention Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. Yes, something needs doing, Blizzard. It's needed doing since 2003. Nic Reuben 15:17 pm UTC Monster DNA is an Itch game latterly upgraded into a full Steam release in which you cook up horrible creatures in a lab. There's a demo on Steam. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 15:22 pm UTCHere's that Dragon Age: The Veilguard launch trailer for you, then.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Official Launch Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 17:06 pm UTCAnd here's the early access launch trailer for Windblown, the new roguelike actioner from original Dead Cells devs Motion Twin.
Windblown | Steam Early Access Launch Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:00 am UTCFRAWT FRIDAY
A mist descends upon London - feels like a descendant of the old Victorian peasoupers. What do we call them these days - nitrogen fondues? Break out the infra-red and FEED THE MAW! Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:15 am UTC As suggested a few months ago, Overwatch 2 is indeed trying out the return of 6v6 player matches. There will be two separate playtests in season 14. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:18 am UTC I think Nic is already writing this up, but - PCGamer has a report on the development of middling shooter adaptation The Bureau: XCOM Declassified written by Jeremy "We Still Love Him" Peel. It covers various interesting abandoned prototypes. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:23 am UTCA SURPRISE NEW BEHEMOTH GAME. It's out 31st October, and it's sort of... Flappy Birds X Lemmings with a dash of Katamari Damacy? BEHEMOTH 🥚 Announcement & Release Date Trailer Watch on YouTube
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:30 am UTCVile is a found doc horror game from DreadXP dev Cara Cadaver in which you look through a serial killer's computer to learn the fate of adult film star Candy Corpse. Here's the trailer. Maybe don't watch it if you're feeling glum or frazzled, as it's obviously rather disturbing. Here's the Steam page.
VILE: the Director's Cut TRAILER Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:53 am UTCSome splattergun footage from Nightdive's remaster of The Thing video game.
The Thing: Remastered - Gameplay Trailer | Nightdive Studios Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:56 am UTCAs PCGamer note, Baldur's Gate 3 does look surprisingly convincing as a first-person RPG.
Can You Beat Baldur's Gate 3 While Locked In First Person PoV? Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 15:50 pm UTCA modder has recreated slicey touchscreen game Fruit Ninja as a Counter-Strike 2 aim trainer, via Percy Coswald Gamer.
I made Fruit Ninja in CS2
Workshop below pic.twitter.com/ZvAlD51e48
