The Maw doesn't hibernate, but it does... decelerate. As the year fades, its seismic pulse slows from Gatling-gun prestissimo to howitzer larghissimo. Its compound eyes contract or dim or vanish entirely. Its limbs lengthen, forming contrails from the Arctic to Antarctica (what, did you think those were from planes? Haha. Hahahaha.) Accordingly, news writing becomes a kind of lullaby. Softly now - which promising new PC games are out this week?
We open Monday 25th November with cosy creature-feature city-builder Wild Country. Tuesday 26th November brings a couple of early access launches: on the one hand, posh pixelart roguelike Guidus Zero, which is both real-time and grid-based - the forbidden combo. And on the other, party-based industrial fantasy RPG New Arc Line, which gives you a world split between magic and steampunk gadgetry. On Wednesday 27th November, we take a rain check. Why not do the laundry or learn a language, or something? On Thursday 28th November, there's 30 Birds, a puzzler that unfolds across the surfaces of rotating lanterns, inspired by Persian miniatures. And on Friday 29th November, there's 50s anime detective sim LumineNight.
A slender assortment, that - if you know of any other games that deserve a mention, let us know. Alternatively, enjoy the relative quiet after triple-A launch season. Some local news from Edwinland: I've just bought a fan heater. It's the best thing. I kneel before it in the gloom with my duvet over my head and praise the small gods of ceramics. Wishing you a warm week.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Key points- 09:04 am November 29 2024 FRIDAY FORGIVES
- 06:13 am November 28 2024 THURSDAY DESCENDS
- 09:05 am November 27 2024 WEDNESDAY ARRIVES
- 09:03 am November 26 2024 TUESDAY TIME
- 09:15 am November 25 2024 IT IS MAWNDAY
IT IS MAWNDAY
Let's avoid the puns this week, to avoid rousing the beast from its doze. Whisper it: feed the maw. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:28 am UTC How about some free dungeon solitaire to start things off? Here's Solitomb. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:30 am UTC Here's the skinny on the first big Manor Lords patch, which adds two new maps and new building upgrades while reworking the simulation's marketplace and changing how ale and water are distributed to settlements. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:56 am UTCAbyss X Zero continues to look like top stuff.
Showcasing how you can combine many different movement abilities when platforming in ABYSS X ZERO!
We're trying to mix the flow of 3D platformers and the methodical exploration of Metroidvanias
Wishlist on Steam if you want to support us! 👇👇👇#gamedev #lowpoly #indiegame pic.twitter.com/m9RlRhP6bW
We didn't write up Soulmask back at early access launch because I was very tired of survival games, and still am, but the game now has elephant mounts with hot springs on their backs, which seems Maw-worthy, at least.
Soulmask Wild Ride Gameplay Trailer - Annual Update & Free DLC Now Available! Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 11:00 am UTC We are about to have a CMS outage. Nobody do anything news-worthy for at least 30 minutes. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 12:12 pm UTC Well, there you have it: our old comments system is back. OpenWeb has been fed to the Maw (your comments from the past couple of weeks haven't - they'll reappear gradually as the techies work their magic). Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 12:40 pm UTCI'm keeping my eye on Mama's Sleeping Angels. It's a multiplayer extract-o-horror that is visually and thematically redolent of Lethal Company but has plenty of ideas of its own. Golden Light enthusiasts might also enjoy.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 12:41 pm UTCFachewachewa says: Is commenting safe now? Hi, happy return to the old system. Does that mean we're losing the formatting here? Anyways, slow week, probably because of the upcoming steam sales. 30 Birds is definitely a cool one though!
We have, alas, lost the liveblog formatting. On the upside, I can now once again quote comments in the feed directly from the CMS.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 14:18 pm UTC The Total War Facebook page dropped a lil' teaser for the upcoming DLC. Tuesday newsday? Nic Reuben 16:20 pm UTC IO Interactive are pulling Hitman's The Disruptor content from sale, following the results of a civil case against Conor McGregor, via IGN. Nic Reuben 08:11 am UTCMonaco 2, the sequel to the 2013 co-op heist game, is on track to come out some time in 2025, says creative directorman Andy Schatz in a Steam update.
Brendan Caldwell 08:19 am UTC2K are removing their launcher from games like XCOM 2, Civilization V, BioShock Remastered, and the Mafia trilogy, according to a post on the publisher's website. Launchers are often annoying, so that's nice. All this now means XCOM 2 now has a new default mod launcher, and mods are playable on Steam Deck, they say.
Brendan Caldwell 08:25 am UTCA studio led by former Mass Effect director Casey Hudson has shut down before fully revealing the blobkbuster sci-fi the studio was working on. Humanoid Origin posted the announcement of the closure on LinkedIn, saying that a "shortfall of funding" was responsible. They had been working on a "multi-platform AAA game, focusing on character-driven narrative in an all-new science-fiction universe", according to the studio's website.
Brendan Caldwell 09:03 am UTCTUESDAY TIME
Coffee mug charged, fan heater set to "secondhand bathwater" temperature. Let's have at it. FEED THE MAW. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:18 am UTCMoons Of Darsalon is an action platformer with shades of Oddworld and Lemmings, wrapped up in a 50's pulp sci fi aesthetic. There's a demo on Steam.
Moons of Darsalon - Release Date Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Watch on YouTube Nic Reuben 10:16 am UTCSongs of Rats is a minimalist text based sci-fi RPG, coming next year. Looks rat! Uh, rad.
Songs of Rats - Reveal trailer Watch on YouTube Nic Reuben 15:22 pm UTCAquarium simulator Fish Game has a new 'jerk update'. This is my first time hearing of this game, but I'm sold, honestly.
Fish Game - JERK UPDATE TRAILER Watch on YouTube Nic Reuben 09:05 am UTCWEDNESDAY ARRIVES
But perhaps if we avoid eye contact it will go away again. FEED THE MAW. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:08 am UTCCiting anonymous sources, Insider Gaming report that Ubisoft are working on a social sim inspired by Animal Crossing with Minecrafty building elements. It's apparently codenamed Alterra.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:15 am UTCMinnmax have a feistily irreverent rapidfire video interview with the Indiana Jones And The Great Circle devs which doesn't reveal much and might just wind you up. I did enjoy the character arc joke though.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:19 am UTCThe former Little Nightmares and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita devs of Section 9 have announced a publishing partnership with Epic Games. They're working on a new third-person sci-fi action adventure which makes me think of both LN and Returnal. Here's some WIP footage.
Section 9 Interactive CONCEPT SOUND DESIGN Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:25 am UTCFormer Arkane dude Raphael Colantonio has been having thoughts on the TwiXters about review scores and Metacritic, with specific reference to critics docking S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 points for launch bugs.
The Metacritic ecosystem encourages devs to make safe boring games.
As long as a game is polished at launch, you’re guaranteed a 80%, no matter how boring the game might be.
Meanwhile Stalker2 gets a 73 because it’s a bit rough on the edges at launch.
Unfair, misleading..
The Silent Hill 2 remake's senior narrative designer Barbara Kciuk thinks one of the larger advantages to working in horror is that it's cheaper. “It is a bit niche, but actually, the interesting part about horror is that it is one of the best ratios when it comes to the cost of production and the earnings,” she told TheGamer. “If you take Paranormal Activity, it cost pennies and it made millions. This is one of the genres in both film and games where you actually can take very little resources, and the game or the movie looking cheap might actually be an advantage.”
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:48 am UTCPlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida, known for being the face of Sony's "indie" gaming initiatives, has announced that he's leaving the company in January after 31 years.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 10:01 am UTCLiz Ryerson is cool and her game recommendations are also cool.
Post four indie games you think more people should have played
Pig Eat Ball
Salad Fields
Uurnog Uurnlimited
Future Unfolding
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Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers has been updated with myriad balance changes and some swanky new card art. Enough to lure you from Balatro?
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 06:13 am UTCTHURSDAY DESCENDS
FEED THE MAW. Starting a bit early today as I have to jump out for an appointment this morning. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 06:20 am UTC Real special good boy Elon Musk has squinched open his little mouth and used his sweaty bullet brain to say that games are too woke because they're owned by massive corporations and he's going to have one of his AI companies make games in order to "make games great again". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 07:22 am UTC After Inc: Revival is "a unique blend of strategic simulation, survival city builder and ‘mini 4X’" from the developer of Plague Inc. As the name suggests, it's about rebuilding a world ravaged by, in this case, a zombie apocalypse. It's free-to-play on mobile right now, with Steam early access following in 2025. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 07:59 am UTC In The Cabin Factory, out next month, you're a factory inspector trying to work out whether mass-produced cabins are haunted. It's like that Titanfall 2 level but with ghosts. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:02 am UTC Sadly compromised Rocksteady actioner Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is 95% off on Steam. Worth a poke for the price of three bags of supermarket pasta? Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 08:04 am UTCThe just-announced Light of Motiram from Polaris Quest and Tencent is the Palworld to Horizon: Zero Dawn's Pokemon.
Light of Motiram - Teaser Trailer Watch on YouTube Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:54 am UTCSurvival game Medieval Dynasty just got a big update.
Medieval Dynasty | Autumn Update Release | Gameplay Trailer Watch on YouTube Nic Reuben 09:56 am UTC Bloodborne MIGHT BE DOING A THING that MIGHT END UP BEING PC RELEVANT. Or maybe not. I'm so jaded by this point that even the copium doesn't work, via Pushsquare. Nic Reuben 09:57 am UTCAnother big update! This time for well loved FPS roguelite Roboquest.
Roboquest - Endless Update Highlights Watch on YouTube Nic Reuben 13:03 pm UTC Palworld's next major update in December will add "the largest and most mysterious island in Palworld history". Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:05 pm UTCCaves of Qud 1.0 launches in under a week. Beware that your old saves will not transfer over. If you want to keep going with your old save, you'll need to switch to a legacy branch. "The currently live branch is 208.x," explains a Steam post. "You can switch to this branch now to avoid updating when the patch drops on December 5th."
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:11 pm UTCBack in April 2021, Overgrowth developer Wolfire brought an antitrust lawsuit against Valve, stating that Steam's 30% cut from every video game purchase is anti-competitive. It was dismissed in November 2021, then updated and refiled. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a US judge has granted the lawsuit class action status, and combined it with a similar suit from Dark Catt Studios. According to GI, this means that the suit can apply to any developers, publishers or individuals who paid a commission to Valve in connection with a game sale on or after January 28, 2017. In other words, it has the potential to get a lot bigger.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:31 pm UTCFrostpunk is getting a free "major content update" and two paid DLC packs next year - the expansions are called Spectrum and Aurora. There's a third, currently untitled DLC pack out in 2026. All that's from their new roadmap.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 13:47 pm UTC A copious update for noisy shooter Selaco, which adds legshot animations, a new special campaign with ARPG-style weapon rarities and traits, and the ability to throw dinner plates like frisbees. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 16:48 pm UTCHere's an in-depth and touching account of the writing of Dragon Age: Inquisition's Cassandra, from former BioWare scribe David Gaider. He worked on the character after Cassandra's original writer Jennifer Helpler left the team, after receiving (but not necessarily as a result of) abuse from members of noted bullyboy parade Gamergate. Thanks, Eurogamer.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:04 am UTCFRIDAY FORGIVES
Almost there. FEED THE MAW. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:07 am UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is working now, according to Microsoft Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann. "We are happy to report that the issues regarding access and streaming have been resolved," he wrote, via VGC. "The distribution layer capacity has been increased to handle the immense interest in the simulator and the reliability is now above 99.99%. Our servers and services are also all performing as expected." I'll let you, The Gamers, be the judge of all that. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:12 am UTCVia MP1st, a tiny bit from Bloober about the combat of Cronos: The New Dawn, their time-diving scifi horror. It's got a mechanic redolent of Dead Space's limb-cutting and Alan Wake's flashlight, apparently, but they're withholding details, the flirts.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 09:37 am UTCChibi Souls action game Duel Corp is approaching its final playtest. I played a bit of the demo a few months ago and it seems promising, if fairly straight-laced in its Dark Soulsing.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell 10:02 am UTCA clever coder has made a detailed map of the huge world in sci-fantasy roguelike Caves Of Qud. You can zoom in and out, like Google Maps but with lots more pixel art. The mapper also includes one underground level (or "z-level") but adds: "for the sake of brevity (and cloud storage costs) I must omit the other 2,147,483,645 z-levels."
Brendan Caldwell 11:52 am UTC The next project from Lies Of P developer Round8 Studios is a sci-fi survival horror game, via Eurogamer. Nic Reuben 14:48 pm UTC Comical Cold War adventure Jazzpunk is 75% off on Steam. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell Load more comments Loading
