IGM Forum Find: Solve Musical Puzzles in Soints 2

Burning People is a small development team based in Russia, and they’ve shared their latest project Soints 2 via our Indie Game Mag Forum .

. The game’s goal is simple: Remove the points floating in the game spaces. Only one move is allowed, and all points must be eliminated. Different solutions create different effects concerning both visuals and music, to create a relaxing puzzle atmosphere.

In each level, there are a set number of balls (“points”) moving in a space that may have obstacles. The player is given a point with a special power that they must activate in order to have it interact with the entire play space, creating a chain reaction to clear the area. Each interaction has a different visual and audio cue, with different solutions creating a unique soundtrack for the level.

Playable points (“soints”) vary in ability, with some increasing in speed, others attracting existing points, and even explosive soints that completely change the trajectory of the entire level. With over 70 levels (including bonus levels), and more than one solution for each, Soints 2 can potentially offer hours of puzzle relaxation for mobile gamers.

Burning People is currently seeking funding on Boomstarter(the site is in Russian – A browser that can translate is needed) to completely debug Soints 2 , as well as port it to other platforms. It is currently slated to be released on Android, with stretch goals to include iOS and other releases. There are 22 days to go, with an ultimate goal of 30,000 RUB ($475.29 USD). Follow Burning People on Twitterfor more information and screenshots.

If you’ve got an indie game project you’d like to share, join the Indie Game Mag Forums and tell us about it! Interact with other developers, field questions from interested gamers, and even get a chance to have your game featured right here on IGM Forum Finds .

Dreamfall Chapters Book Two trailer thickens plot

Episode two of the new Kickstarted Dreamfall series of adventure games will be here on March 10, which gives us plenty of time to mull over the events of today's teaser trailer, in which a man is punched, an arrow is caught mid-flight and clothes are forgotten in an awkward meeting between Zoe and a giant elderly frog man.

Episode two introduces a new city called Marcuria and continues the dual stories of Kian and Zoe as they puzzle their way through their respective realities, one set in a fantasy world full of men shooting arrows, and another set in a glowing cyberpunk future.

For analysis on Book One's attempt to bring back this much-loved series, check out Richard Cobbett's Critical Pathspiece.

History of dangerous driving in videogames

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Gravity Rush 2 and Vita original coming to PS4

Sony Japan's topsy-turvy action game, Gravity Rush, is busting out of its PlayStation Vita home and returning as a full-fledged PlayStation 4 game in December. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studio president Shuhei Yoshida introduced a trailer for the game - known as Gravity Daze in Japan - before casually rolling into another announcement: a new Gravity Rush sequel is coming to PlayStation

Autodesk Announces Stingray Game Engine

Nowadays, it seems like everyone and their brother has a game engine.

Nowadays, it seems like everyone and their brother has a game engine. Valve is releasing their new Source 2 engine for free, Epic made the latest iteration of their Unreal Engine available to everyone, and even Unity is throwing open the doors to free development (provided you model and texture the doors yourself).

Amidst the chaos of GDC Europe in Cologne, Germany, Autodesk has announced they are releasing a game engine of their own. Autodesk, known for their Maya and 3DS Max software in particular, are moving into the game engine ring with the introduction of Stingray. Stingray has been built on the Bitsquid engine, which Autodesk purchased last year for the purpose of making their own game-making tool.

The key niches that Autodesk is trying to fill with Stingray are, according to them, the new Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mobile development markets. There is also, of course, the benefit of going from Maya — one of the most popular 3D modeling tools — straight to another Autodesk program. This should mean a greater ease of use, or, to use the buzzwords, a much more streamlined workflow. Autodesk has already announced that there will be a “live link” between Stingray and other Autodesk software, meaning users can move quickly between their game and the tools they use to make the game.

Stingray is scheduled to release on August 19 for Windows PCs at a cost of $30 USD per month. Autodesk has also said that Maya LT Desktop Subscribers will have access to the engine. Those interested can check out Stingray’s website, which has a bunch of in-depth information, as well as videos describing some of the engine’s features.

Dreamfall Chapters: Book Two is "coming soon"

Here are some concepts referred to in this trailer for Dreamfall Chapters: 1) The Undreaming, 2) The Storytime, 3) The Thief of Dreams.

Here are some concepts referred to in this trailer for Dreamfall Chapters: 1) The Undreaming, 2) The Storytime, 3) The Thief of Dreams. Not the most accessible of introductions to the series then, but one that should nevertheless whet fans' appetites for the release of Book Two: Rebels.

Dreamfall Chapters is the follow up to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, which was itself a follow up to The Longest Journey. According to the trailer, the second release in this new episodic adventure is "coming soon".

Previously, Richard Cobbett wrote about the success of Chapters' cyberpunk world, as part of his Critical Paths series.

History of dangerous driving in videogames

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Arc System Works Acquires Rights to Double Dragon and More

Here’s some news that means we might see the revival of some classic game franchises soon.

Here’s some news that means we might see the revival of some classic game franchises soon. Arc System Works, the Japanese studio behind the beloved fighting series, Guilty Gear and the BlazBlue , recently acquired the property rights to all titles previously owned by Technos Japan Corp.

For those not familiar with this company, some of their games might refresh your memory: Double Dragon , Super Dodge Ball , River City Ransom and Kunio-Kun. All of these intellectual properties, and a few more, that used to belong to Technos Japan Corp. now belong to Arc System Works, which, fingers crossed, may mean that they’re looking to do something with them.

Not much has been revealed on what Arc System Works plan to do with any of these titles, although the team have said that they intend to work on the most popular titles first, such as the beat ’em up Kunio-Kun, and that they won’t change the names of any series acquired upon new releases. Of course, with Arc System’s focus, many gamers are now anxiously awaiting a new Double Dragon game .

For future updates and information, visit Arc Sytem Work’s websiteand stay tuned on IGM.

EA Games Campus Video Tour

While we were visiting Visceral Games on the EA Redwoods Shores campus, we thought it would be a great idea to have them show us around.

While we were visiting Visceral Games on the EA Redwoods Shores campus, we thought it would be a great idea to have them show us around. We convinced Dead Space 2’s Senior Designer John “JC” Calhoun to take us on a tour. The campus was huge and we only saw a small fraction of it. EA definitely knows how to decorate is style and features a huge theater, art exhibits, game lounges, a Starbucks and even a library to check out games (much like GI’s own Vault). Don’t miss this interesting look inside the EA campus. This video contains music by Solid Gold.

A decent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game could be on the way

What happens when you combine Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Platinum Games?

Ninja Turtles 135365

What happens when you combine Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Platinum Games? "A videogame" is the most accurate answer, but if you've been disappointed by the lack of a decent Turtles game, it's a tantalising answer. Platinum Games has a good reputation after all: Transformers: Devastationis reportedly a very decent adaptation of the old school cartoons, and the studio is responsible for some of the best action games of the last decade, including Bayonetta and Vanquish.

According to the Australian Classification Board website, such a project does indeed exist. While the game hasn't been officially announced by publisher Activision, the Australian Classification Board doesn't have a reputation for telling fibs – nor is it likely to establish one, being a government organisation and all.

What kind of Turtles game would it be, though? If Platinum's recent Transformers game is any indication, it won't need to align closely with the recent Turtles film. Indeed, it could more closely resemble the comics or even the '90s cartoon series. But that's all speculation at this point. So too is the question of whether it'll even come to PC: Transformers did, but this could be a mobile game for all I know.

Dreamcast Collection releasing next month for 360 and PC, details are unsurprising

Sega has confirmed a February due date and a lineup for its Dreamcast Collection. On the upside, the pack will ship with graphically enhanced versions of four of the console's most popular games. The downside? As predicted , the collection will feature games that have already been announced or released for XBLA and PSN. Also, and PS3 fans will have to sit this one out. Releasing in both disc and downloadable

10 things the Rogue One trailer tells us about the movie

As the first non-Episode Star Wars movie, Rogue One has a lot of live up to, but if the first trailer is anything to go by, it’s off to a great start. We know relatively little about the spin-off movie (even compared to The Force Awakens), so the trailer is a welcome opportunity to trawl through the 1 minute and 57 seconds of footage in minute detail and see what we can glean about the upcoming film

Dead Space 2: The Evolution Of A Necromorph

In their quests to save humanity, gamers have squared off against all kinds of monsters, mutants, and zombies.

In their quests to save humanity, gamers have squared off against all kinds of monsters, mutants, and zombies. With so many experienced veterans holding the controller, is it possible for game developers to design monsters that can make even survival horror aficionados cower in terror?

Ian Milham, art director on Dead Space 2, guides us through the process of creating one of the new abominations that Isaac will face in the follow-up to the 2008 horror hit. You’ll see the early designs, find out what didn’t work, and see how the process resulted in what players will eventually see in the game.

Remember that most of these designs are from the conceptualization process, and won’t be appearing in the finished product. Even the “final” version may change, given that there is plenty of time between now and the game’s ambiguous future release date.

Also, don’t forget to stop by our Dead Space 2 hubto catch up on any features you may have missed!

"The original Dead Space did a lot of stuff great, but we also had to fall back on some game design standbys. Like kill doors – eliminate all the enemies and they open. We’re trying to figure out ways to have players slow down and be a part of the world that are organic and logical and not artificial game design. This is an enemy that’s designed to do that. He’s called the Flytrap, and he’s basically half environmental hazard and half enemy. All they told us was that travels along the ceiling and dangles down – lures – to try to snare you. He’s not static – he is a live thing, and he has additional states. First, you’ve got to dismember his lure. That shocks him and gets him on the ground. Then he gets wild, kind of like a fish flopping on the ground, except he’s still dangerous. We’re still playing around with what that means."

"One of the notions key to Dead Space is that the Necromorphs have an improvised terribleness to them. They’re people that have been broken and twisted into something else, but done so violently and improvisationally. The idea we have is almost like this infection has aplan about what it would like the thing to become, but can’t quite get the body there and makes due with what it is. Instead of teeth, it’ll have bone shards that have broken into teethy things, but they aren’t literally teeth. Instead of wings, it’s stuff that’s been bent backwards and stretched. Some of the problems with the things early on were that they look too evolved. They look like monsters. We don’t want anything that looks like an evolved organism, because that just blows the whole purpose. Here, we’re starting to feel that a little bit more. The mouth isn’t really the mouth; the spine has been split. There’s something interesting there."

"There’s a certain pathos here, without being so literal. We loved this sketch. We went from there, and started doing a lot of details on him. Remember this sketch for later; somewhere along the road to final, he turned into a goofy monster, and then we went back to this sketch and brought it forward."

Reinstall: Timeshift

Reinstall invites you to join us in revisiting classics of PC gaming days gone by.

Reinstall invites you to join us in revisiting classics of PC gaming days gone by. This week, we pause to appreciate sci-fi FPS TimeShift.

Does anyone give a shit about TimeShift?” asks acting editor Chris Thursten, poised to deny my Reinstall pitch. “It doesn't grab me off the bat. I want something that grabs my bat, Marsh.”

I can forgive Chris his ungrabbed battitude. TimeShift is an ugly also-ran sci-fi shooter of little acclaim, the troubled production of which is etched into every hastily up-res'd texture. It does not grab bats. It couldn't grab a bat if both it and the bat were made out of magnetised velcro. In fact, when I played it back in 2007, I imagined I would quickly forget it. But I have not.

Every time I play a modern military man-clicker with its succession of glumly trammelled arenas, the memory of TimeShift resurfaces. Instead of the tedious, timid exchange of bullets from cover, wouldn't every firefight be more fun if I could pause time, dash into the fray, plug everyone with an explosive bolt and then watch them disassemble as time resumes? The answer is nearly always yes. TimeShift knew this, which is why, despite its many flaws, it clings to one of the most redeeming, energising and enduring gimmicks in FPS history.

TimeShift was born into an era of shooters that had grown desperate. The notion that your game could stand out by dint of its whacky weaponry alone had been largely played out, and subsequent shooters were flailing wildly for some further innovation. TimeShift didn't quite manage even that: its tawdry time-travel plot hurtles you into an alternative future in which a dystopian regime is in the process of crushing rebellion, while your nemesis, Dr Krone, burbles propaganda from giant flickering screens. These similarities to Half- Life 2 are hardly flattering for the later game – TimeShift even has a driving section set in the wilderness, but you never find yourself unsaddled by a desire for exploration. That Dr Krone lives in a giant robot spider is not a persuasive addition to the formula.

TimeShift's art style is unique, but for all the wrong reasons: a clumsy amalgam of a partly-aborted steampunk prototype and the grimy Gears of War zeitgeist. It smacks of an eleventh-hour publisher panic-attack. The HD era seems to have caught the developers on the hop, leading to a crude bumpmap pebbledashing of the game's bleary brown textures. Even the trio of time-bending powers you possess – slow, pause and reverse – can't quite claim novelty, having been glimpsed before in FEAR and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Nonetheless, TimeShift's deployment of them is unusually graceful, honing them to fit the task at hand, balancing their potency against your character's fragility and the sheer number of opponents you face.

This is made obvious in the opening section, where you're without any time abilities at all. It's hard. Tackling just two enemies at once is foolhardy, and the game forces you to play extremely conservatively, retreating into cover and taking pot shots when you can. Then, blessedly, you're given all your powers at once, and combat opens up into wide arenas that both indulge your supremacy and test your vulnerabilities.

Since you die so easily and later weapons like the Thunderbolt crossbow kill enemies with a single hit, firefights resist Call of Duty's whack-a-mole-with-guns template. Instead, you assess the situation, find the optimum tactical placement amid your foes, and weigh your diminishing timepower pool against the reload speed of your weapon. Reaching that sweet-spot which gives you the maximum sightlines, and skewering each foe in turn before the ticker runs out, transforms this shooter into something more like Power Snooker.

This is so reliably entertaining that TimeShift is almost undone by it. Once the Thunderbolt falls into your hands, it rarely leaves them, and the rest of the game's exotic arsenal barely gets a look in. There's an Uzi with a flamethrower attachment, a plasma rifle that fires arcing explosive projectiles, and a cannon capable of emitting a deadly beam of blue energy – but none will lever you out of the Thunderbolt groove. Instead, variety is forced by the ratcheting power of your opponents. Since the ordinary grunts can still cut you down in open ground, enemies try to force you out of cover or keep your time powers depleted. Jetpacking goons easily get the drop on you, while those wielding energy shields can only be defeated by stopping time altogether – a much more expensive manoeuvre than simply slowing it. Later, vat-born supersoldiers enact their own time powers, appearing to zip through the level in an impossible blur, forcing you counter with your own abilities. The lethality of failure would be a chore if the game didn't support quicksaves – but it does, enabling you to experiment with brash tactics.

For all this, TimeShift still exhausts what novelty it has. The smattering of timebased puzzles, which require you to freeze giant rotating fans or reverse the movement of a conveyor belt, rarely explore the gimmick's potential. But its merits have only become more significant since release: the devastating success of Call of Duty stifled the impetus for shooters to be mechanically experimental or playful. BioShock, BulletStorm and Singularity are notable exceptions. And so it is that an often mediocre game from 2007 remains a champion of progress within the shooter genre – of consistent, systemic, tactically rejuvenating game mechanics. It may be flailing for a unique selling point, but with the latest comatose campaigns for CoD and Battlefield as grim testament, the FPS could do with a bit more flailing. You can't grab anyone's bat unless you reach for it.

Dreamcast Collection appears on retail listing... but how well is this DC Returns lark going?

Google Cache doesn't lie. US game retailer GameStop listed an Xbox 360 title called 'Dreamcast Collection', slated for release on February 15, 2011. And then took it down sharpish. What does that mean? More likely than not, a disc-based compilation of the games that have appeared on XBLA so far in the 'Dreamcast Returns' series. But judging by the games released so far, Dreamcast seems to play a very

At the age of 21, Iranian developer Mahdi Bahrami's future in games seems bright. Engare marks his second

game in the Student IGF, his third game, Bo earned an honorable mention, and his creations will demoed at GDC's 12th Experimental Gameplay Workshop . Details on Bahrami's Student IGF finalist Engare are scant online, but he says the game involves trying to draw line shapes inside different scenes.

Road to the Student IGF: Mahdi Bahrami on Engare

are scant online, but he says the game involves trying to draw line shapes inside different scenes. Players click on a particular part of an object in the game, and it traces a path as it moves. The goal is to match the path trace with the one requested by the game.

As part of the Road to the IGFseries, we speak to Bahrami about the game's Persian art influences, his two-year partnership with musician Moslem Rasouli, and his choice of platform for the mysterious prototype.

How did you come up with the concept?

When I was in high school, one day our geometry teacher asked us a question about the curve traced by a point on the rim of a circular wheel as the wheel rolls along a straight line. All of us were fascinated by that question. I decided to make a game about it.

What development tools did you use?

Unity and Photoshop, a great percentage of the visuals are generated by the game mechanic itself.

How long did you work on your game, and why did you choose your target platforms?

About one year, however, I made the first prototype about four years ago but was not working on it for a long time. I chose Windows and Mac because it's necessary to have a mouse as the input device. I'm not sure if this game mechanic could work on tablets or consoles since a mouse is a lot more accurate than touching a tablet screen or using a console game controller.

How many people were on your team, and what lessons did you learn in working as a team?

Two people, joined by Moslem Rasouli, who made the music for the game. It's been more than two years that we have been working together on different projects, and now we are very familiar with each other's view, style, and mentality.

Your game contains Persian music and art, right?

Yes, it does. There are some geometric shapes and patterns drawn during the game which have some similarities with shapes we have in Persian art and architecture specially in Isfahan, a beautiful city in the middle of Iran, full of mosques and Islamic art. The fact that artists in the ancient Islamic world were not allowed to draw living creatures forced them to use abstract shapes. This made their works mathematically more interesting. For me, it was a source of inspiration.

What indie games have you played in the past 12 months that impressed you and why?

Papers, Please is something very special for me. Since I need to apply for a US visa to go to GDC, I kind of see myself inside the game every time I play it. Gorogoa is so beautiful. I've played the demo version too many times. Corrypt made me feel something very different and special.

What games influenced you in deciding to go to school to make games?

Playing Syberia made me eager to start making games, but the main reason for going to school was to experience something new in my life.

How do you feel your school prepares students for independent game development?

Currently, I'm studying programming at NHTV, which focuses more on AAA work. There is another track called Indie Game Developmentwhere students learn programming, design, and art at the same time. I think it depends on the students how and where to use the stuff they learn at school.

IGM at EGX 2015: The Assembly

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming ever more prominent in the game industry, with many studios working on titles for the Oculus Rift, Playstation VR and the HTC Vive.

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming ever more prominent in the game industry, with many studios working on titles for the Oculus Rift, Playstation VR and the HTC Vive. Being shown off proudly right next to Star Wars Battlefront on the show floor was The Assembly , a story-driven VR adventure in the works for all three VR devices, developed by nDreams.

The Assembly, the shady organization that gives this game its name, has been pushing the boundaries when it comes to scientific research, and seems to be afraid of crossing no lines, whether it be in regard to government or social laws. Now, everything that they’ve worked for, everything that they’ve discovered, and everything that they’ve hidden is in danger of being exposed to the world. In The Assembly , gamers will meet two individuals dealing with the decisions that come from this event, and each choice made “will transform not just their own lives, but that of whole nations.” The choice will never be easy; right and wrong will blur, and gamers will be left wondering whether the “ends justify the means.”

The concept already sounds interesting, but nDreams kept things pretty simple at EGX, and showed off about 5 minutes of the narrative using an on-rails demo. I can’t deny that I was initially a little disappointed, but the reasoning behind it is sound. The developers “were aware that many of the people who’d come to visit [them] at EGX wouldn’t have ever experienced VR before, so [they] wanted to provide them with a demo that wouldn’t overwhelm them… Instead, [they] wanted to gently ease visitors into their first hands-on experience of VR.” In that respect, the demo worked really well, as it really did provide a glimpse into the power of VR while also giving gamers a peek into the story behind The Assembly.

In this on-rails build, I saw the world through the eyes of Madeleine, as she was transported into a laboratory that was either underground or built into the side of a desert cliff. She was unable to do anything but watch as two scientists, one male and one female, conversed amongst themselves behind her. They discussed the complexities of their research and whether it was right or wrong. It was also extremely important that the male scientist not tell his girlfriend anything about what they had been working on, which only piqued my interest further. Just what are these scientists doing?

As my only option was to look around, I became completely invested in doing just that. Since most games are driven by completing objectives, always moving forward, it was quite nice to be able to fully appreciate the world around me, especially when brought to life in the all-encompassing world of VR.

This feeling of wonder is what nDreans is aiming for. The studio believes that “there really is no substitute for playing a VR game. The jump in terms of immersion and presence has to be experienced to be believed – you simply can’t reach the same level of either in flat-screen gaming.” I can’t say from my snippet of The Assembly whether everyone will agree with this statement, but I can say that I did indeed feel very present in the virtual world.

At times, the proportions of people in front of me seemed a bit off, like they’d been squashed in order to fit into my area of vision, though the environments were generally all quite impressive. Another issue, and probably a much bigger one for the platform, is that I felt a bit dizzy after playing. I can imagine that this is a danger for many VR titles currently in development, but it’s definitely one that all studios should be aware of.

Regardless of potential motion sickness, the gamers of EGX seemed excited for The Assembly , and nDreams “had more than a few people say that they were interested in finding out what happened to Madeleine next and where the game’s story was leading.” Honestly, I’m one of them.

The Assembly looks to be a game that uses the immersive VR platform to enhance its story of mystery and decisions, where the line between right and wrong is hard to find. It’s a shame that the demo was on-rails, but as its job was probably to draw people in with its foreboding narrative and show off the possibilities of VR, it succeeded. More information on nDream’s title, which will be released for Project Morpheus (PS4), Oculus Rift (PC), and HTC Vive (Steam VR), check out their website, or get in touch on Twitterand Facebook.

Transformers: Devastation trailer delivers on gameplay footage

I never watched Transformers and don't really play fighting games, but I really wanna play Transformers: Devastation .

. Especially after watching the above trailer, which doesn't skimp on gameplay footage. As many others have noted, Devastation looks like a Saturday morning cartoon come to life, and that's an art style I can get behind.

The footage above is a Sony trailer, and therefore (presumably) shows the game running on a PS4. Still, the game is definitely confirmed for PC, and with Platinum Games at the helm it might be a rare instance of a decent Transformers game.

Sega finally confirms Dreamcast games for 360, PS3

We've heard rumors about this for weeks (or is it months?), and today Sega finally confirmed that a slew of classic Dreamcast titles will be coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 via their respective download services. First up are Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi, two games that were readily available on multiple platforms before the current generation. This does mark their first HD presentation, though

Bayla Bunny: 3D Coin Collectathon With No Carrots in Sight

In a world full of pushy porcupines, evil mushrooms, and dancing fireballs, the average person would probably conclude one of two things.

In a world full of pushy porcupines, evil mushrooms, and dancing fireballs, the average person would probably conclude one of two things. 1) They are an Italian plumber on a mission to save a princess, or 2) They have a very active imagination. Today, family-friendly games developer and publisher EnsenaSoft presents players with third option: Bayla Bunny , an energetic and exhilarating 3D platformer starring a rabbit protagonist.

Bayla’s journey begins when she locates a book full of maps that detail the whereabouts of secret treasures, prompting her to set out and find them. Bayla Bunny challenges players with guiding Bayla through 27 different courses of bunny-hopping action, which are scaffolded by coin collection and the discovery of hidden keys. A slew of different enemies keep players on their feet as they work their way through each level, including rowdy raccoons, raging bulls, and speedy cannonballs. A family-friendly game, Bayla Bunny is said to be suitable for people of all ages and promises addictive, 3D gameplay with a simple tilt-screen mechanic that governs Bayla’s movement.

EnsenaSoft is a Mexico-based company committed to making fun and well-designed games for children, which also encourage a spirit of learning. They believe that developing innovative experiences with high-quality graphics and wonderful music and sound effects are the key to make children want to play more-and therefore learn more.

Bayla Bunny is now available from the App Storeand via Amazonfor Android phone users absolutely free. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, but is optimized for use with iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 plus. Those who are interested in learning more about Bayla Bunny and EnsenaSoft’s other products can check out their official website, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Facebook.

Rooms: The Unsovable Puzzle To Receive a VR Version in 2016

With VR very close to becoming an everyday reality – no pun intended – the South Korean studio HandMade Game will be releasing the sequel to their award-winning game Rooms: The Main Building in virtual reality.

in virtual reality. The game was first released on the Nintendo DS and Wii back in 2010 and was also released later under a new name for Android and iOS devices, as well as Steam.

In Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle , players control a young girl trapped inside a twisted mansion full of rooms. Mixing classic slide puzzles with a bit of platform mechanics, the girl must escape each room by finding a key and placing each block of the room in their correct places to find the exit.

While most games using virtual reality intend to take advantage of the immersive first-person perspective, it’s possible to see from the trailer that Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle will maintain its third-person perspective from the original series. “By taking this spectator-view, you can eliminate the cause of motion sickness and still get the feeling of presence. Secondly, we had a game that works in third-person view, so it could easily be converted to VR. Watching the mansion and the character in VR makes it look like a dollhouse right in front of me, which is visually so pleasing,” said Jake Kim, Creative Director at HandMade Games.

Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle for VR devices is set to be released on Q1 2016, and a demo of the game will be released mid-October. Jake said, “Currently, we are supporting Oculus VR. We may support additional VR devices such as Steam VR and PlayStation VR in the future. The VR version uses Xbox 360 controller for all controls.” For further information, visit the game’s official websiteor follow the developers on Twitter

Transformers: Devastation trailer is retro, vibrant and fun

In one minute and 29 seconds, Platinum Games have managed to pretty much erase Michael Bay's awful Transformers films from my mind.

In one minute and 29 seconds, Platinum Games have managed to pretty much erase Michael Bay's awful Transformers films from my mind. I'm unlikely to ever play their latest fast-paced beat-'em-up, but it's wonderful to see the Transformers once again depicted as the colourful, silly cartoon robot people we knew them as in the 1980s.

See Optimus Prime and friends have some big robo-scraps with their deadly enemies the Autobots in the above trailer, then wonder to yourself whether Platinum's game will be any betterthan The Legend of Korra. Transformers: Devastationis out later this year.

The best fake video game movies you'll never see

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JJ Abrams explains the set up for Star Wars Episode VIII

The finish line is almost in sight for JJ Abrams. With just over a month until Star Wars: The Force Awakens (you may have heard of it...) finally opens, the director's enviable and undesirable task of rebooting one of cinemas' most beloved franchises will be complete. Now everyone's obsessing about the sequels! Speaking with Wired , Abrams explained how his Episode VII will transition into Rian Johnson

Average Giants Episode 61 – Robot Roller Derby Disco Dodgeball and AMA

IGM Presents… The Average Giants!

IGM Presents… The Average Giants! A weekly webseries where we play indie games while chatting with their developers. Come watch (and “follow”) the show live on our hitbox channelevery Monday night at 9:00pm EDT.

This week we caught up and went in-depth with Disco Dodgeball creator Erik Asmussen to get into the nitty-gritty of launching a successful game on Steam. Watch and find out how one developer can manage such a detail oriented game and create a positive gaming community, plus what his plans are for the future!

Original Air Date: May 11, 2015

Transformers Devastation coming to PC, developed by Platinum

After a couple of early leaks pointing toward an Xbox release, Transformers Devastation has been officially announced and will be coming to PC.

After a couple of early leaks pointing toward an Xbox release, Transformers Devastation has been officially announced and will be coming to PC. Developed by Platinum Games—with team members who worked on Bayonetta 2, Legend of Korra, and the director of Metal Gear Solid Rising Reveangance, Kenji Saito—Devastation is a third person action beat-em-up in the usual Platinum form.

Fans of the classic Transformers series (that's pre-Michael Bay) will be pleased to see that Transformers Devastation is returning to an art style much closer to its roots. We saw Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and more fighting in the trailer above, in both their robot and car forms. Similar to Legend of Korra, Devastation will be single-player only and only on the side of the Autobots, but have five playable characters and over 30 Decepticon enemies.

Transformers Devastation 2

Transformers Devastation 3

Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma will return in Star Wars: Episode VIII

Having been featured heavily in the pre-release marketing, it was a little surprising that Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma ultimately had very little screen time in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens . Thankfully we haven't seen the last of the character, as Christie confirmed Phasma's return on the red carpet of the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. Check out her interview with People below

Domino Arena’ When It All Comes Crashing Down

‘Domino Arena’ When It All Comes Crashing Down Yesterday Gamieon released their latest title, Domino Arena on PC, Android, and iOS.

Domino Arena is a multiplayer strategy game that pits the player against others (online or around a table) in a battle for domino supremacy.

The whole concept of Domino Arena is for players to paint as many dominos their color as possible. The strategy comes in the way players only have one minute to paint as many dominos their color as possible, and with up to four players this game can turn into a hectic free-for-all very quickly.

The full game comes with twenty levels, and global leaderboards.

It’s interesting to see Gamieon take the classic game digital and actually make it into a fast paced competitive title. This is the fourth mobile game released by Gamieon , and they hope to build on their already popular other titles.

Domino Arena can be downloaded from the Play store, iTunes, or played on PC via Gamesjoltor Kongregate. The mobile/ tablet version can be upgraded for just $0.99 from the single player trial to the full multiplayer version with eight additional single player levels.

Legend of Grimrock 2 introduces Ratlings, a new playable race

There are few creatures more ubiquitous in RPGs than rats, but it's not often we get the opportunity to play as one.

There are few creatures more ubiquitous in RPGs than rats, but it's not often we get the opportunity to play as one. And maybe calling it an "opportunity" is a bit of a stretch, but however you want to look at it, you'll be able to do it, more or less, in Legend of Grimrock 2, which today unveiled an all-new playable race known as "Ratlings."

It's clear that Ratlings aren't everybody's favorite species, as even developer Almost Human describes them as "weak and disease-ridden on the surface." They also suffer a punishing -4 penalty to their strength attribute, which would seem to make them of limited use in a stand-up fight. But they're quintessential survivors: Immune to disease, handy with mechanics and able to bear an extra 15 kilograms of weight in their inventories.

Ratlings will also appear in the game as NPCs, having arrived on the isle of Nex as members of pirate galley crews. "They have nested in the western parts of the island, but they often wander about the island but carefully avoid 'The Boss'," the studio wrote. "Whenever you smell gunpowder in the air, you're sure to know there's Ratling pirates around."

Of course, Ratlings aren't the only beastly race in the game: There are also Insectoids, Lizardmen and Minotaurs, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. But the addition of the Rat to the pack does mean that it's now possible to assemble an entirely non-human party of unique characters, and I'm actually really looking forward to that.

Legend of Grimrock 2 is slated for release later this year.

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IGM Forum Finds: Forge Quest – Dungeon Crawler with Chickens

A favorite of games such as Minecraft and the Legend of Zelda series is the proliferation of chickens.

series is the proliferation of chickens. Charmingly stupid, they provide a dose of whimsy in what might otherwise be a serious situation. In Forge Quest , the chickens are not the stars, but they don’t know that. Open Realms developed the game to be a dungeon-crawler RPG in which players can level up in a solo campaign, or play with up to 4 friends on a network in order to level up faster, or create new characters exclusively for different gaming situations. Leveling up equipment is a large part of gameplay, and a key to success in the many dungeons that lie ahead.

The land of Shmoop was once an awful, ravaged place. War-torn and beaten, both sides decided that peace must be kept through regulation of activities both heroic and villainous. This new policy brought forth prosperity and an economic upswing, and bureaucracy became the norm. The player is an aspiring hero, dropped off by their parents to earn a license to become certified in heroism. Exploration of dungeons is just the beginning of the test; there are beings who do not respect the laws of the land, and it’s up to the player to decide how to handle it. Through victory come the spoils, and with these finds, power grows through upgrades, making the adventurer strong enough to eventually face whatever comes their way.

Forge Quest is available on Steamfor PC. It’s currently in Early Access, and is priced at $9.99. For more information, visit the websiteor follow the game on Twitter. As always, look to the original forum postfor additional screenshots, or simply to ask the developers any questions.

If you’ve got a project you’re dying to show off, join our Indie Game Mag Forums, tell us all about it, and be sure to check out the other devs who’ve already boasted their assets. You could be featured here on IGM Forum Finds !

Dino Run 2’ To Include Indie Game Character Hats; Developers Hosting Live Stream

‘Dino Run 2’ To Include Indie Game Character Hats; Developers Hosting Live Stream PixelJam recently announced that their co-operative dinosaur racing game Dino Run 2 , previewed at IGM earlier this month , is going to include hats created in the images of many beloved indie game characters, including Tim from Braid, the alien from Alien Hominid, and the spelunker from Spelunky .

PixelJam’s love for the indie game scene runs so deep that there are even hats representing games that haven’t even been released yet, like Hyper Light Drifter . Being able to make a velociraptor look like a capybara or a pirate is quite a lighthearted addition to a game centered around trying to avoid extinction by simply running away from it. These hats will also be available in Dino Run: Special Edition , the predecessor of PixelJam’s current project.

Those interested in Dino Run 2 can check out a live streambeing hosted by the developers tonight at 9:00 PM EST. They will be answering questions about the game, chatting with the viewers, and racing against anyone willing to in Dino Run: Special Edition. They’ve also invited some other indie game developers to be guests on the stream.

The Kickstarterfor Dino Run 2 is still up and running, with ten days and a little under $130,000 left to go.

The developers can be contacted via Twitter @pixeljamgames.

Legend of Grimrock 2 might be in alpha, but don't expect an Early Access version

It's a sad and strange state of affairs when a developer not releasing an Early Access version of their game feels like the exception rather than the norm - but here we are.

releasing an Early Access version of their game feels like the exception rather than the norm - but here we are. Despite Legend of Grimrock 2 being in "strong alpha"- i.e. the game is playable from start to end in some form - Almost Human Games are not going to plonk this early version on Steam, and charge people to play it before it's done. You will be able to put down a pre-order at some point, however, giving the devs your money without getting anything immediate in return. Wait, what? (I imagine pre-orders will begin when the game is a little closer to being done, and there's almost no risk of development being halted by a sudden meteor or a desire for a shiny speedboat or anything like that.) Almost Human explained their reasoning to RPS, and because this opening paragraph is already lengthier than some novels, I've stashed it after the break.

“We are kind of old-fashioned," Almost Human (that's the development company, not the sadly cancelled FOX TV show) explained to RPS, "and want to release the game in a polished condition, so Steam Early Access is not planned. We are going to have preorders though.”

Call me old-fashioned - I am riding a Penny Farthing and inhaling snuff as I type this - but I'd rather wait for a game like Grimrock to be all glossy and finished before I embark upon the long and presumably arduous journey through its grid-based fantasy world. Forgoing Steam Early Access feels like the right decision to me.

If you're wondering how Grimrock 2 differs from its predecessor, think outdoor bits, improved monster AI, a more flexible skill system and more. The game's still on track for a 2014 release.

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A New World Of RPG ‘WordTrap Dungeon’ Spells It Out

For weeks Crunching Koalas have been teasing their latest project and considering how they slowly unveiled MouseCraft in a sea of mystery why would this project be any different?

Crunching Koalas is a relatively new indie studio with a small selection of developers with big ambitions, and it shows. Crunching Koalas aim to deliver diverse and fun titles that are unique and to the point, don’t expect to see hours of padding whilst nothing happens but expect a short(ish) yet memorable experience.

Before Christmas Crunching Koalas unveiled their first project MouseCraft after slowly teasing it for weeks prior. MouseCraft is an interesting new puzzle platformer game that reminded me of Lemmings in many respects but was unique in its own right.

Following this trend Crunching Koalas have announced their next project which has come about off the back of the Oyua CREATE contest. WordTrap Dungeon was also slowly teased to the public over a few weeks to try to create some added interest, much like that seen from the MouseCraft announcements.

What we know so far about WordTrap Dungeon is it fuses word games with classic dungeon RPG games (such as Dungeon Master or the more recent Legend Of Grimrock ). It’s an interesting idea and looks to take a similar direction that Typing Of The Dead did, and to be honest I loved that game.

It’s a very interesting new spin on the two types of games and one I do look forward to playing. When combining the interesting concepts and stunning visuals WordTrap Dungeon really looks like a stand out Ouya title. Expect to see a pre-alpha version go live later on today.

If you would like to take part in the testing phase of the games then just go to the Crunching Koalas siteand sign up. The team are dedicated to making each of their games as good as they can be, and always relish all of your feedback.

WordTrap Dungeon is going to be released on Windows, Mac, Linux, OUYA and some touch screen systems, although no release date has been announced.

Kodoku Chronicles Combines Lovecraft and Japanese Folklore

Two things get me on board a horror concept right away: Japanese folklore and Lovecraft.

Two things get me on board a horror concept right away: Japanese folklore and Lovecraft. Both of these concepts have provided me with tons of games, stories, and movies to keep me awake all night, butis the only developer I’ve ever heard of who’s tried working with both at the same time. Using the framework of a visual novel, their game, is looking to tell a deep story involving all manner of surreal, dangerous monstrosities attacking players and their friends on the mysterious Kodoku Island.

In Lovecraft style, players will arrive on the island to meet the dangerous, unhinged locals, likely running into problems with them quite quickly. You’re encouraged to explore the island to further the story, but there are no shortage of monsters to make that quite difficult. Should you run into one, you have to fight it off with a balance of luck, skill, and strategy. You have a luck rating in combat, and only that will allow you to fight off the monster. To increase luck, you have to sacrifice hit points, hit a monster with a proper combination of spells, or have built up relationships with other characters on the island (relationships reward more hit points and luck). It will take a lot of thought to get away from some of these horrors.

Building up relationships with some of the weirdos who inhabit the island will add a lot of depth to the game, and players will be given choices on how to interact with people. Depending on the characters’ mental states and personal desires/obsessions, they’ll react in different ways to what you say. Pay attention to their wants and needs, and you might gain some luck or hit points to use against the monsters, as well as a worthwhile ally in this terrible place.

You can see more of the game’s monster designs and the characters on Kodoku Chronicles ‘ Kickstarterand Greenlightpages. Mixing pain, fear, madness, lust, and the grotesque, it looks like it will contain plenty of creepy stuff.

Legend of Grimrock 2 sneaks into "strong alpha" status

There was a time, back when I was a young whippersnapper, that grid-based dungeon crawlers were a big part of the gaming ecosphere.

There was a time, back when I was a young whippersnapper, that grid-based dungeon crawlers were a big part of the gaming ecosphere. Advances in technology rendered the style obsolete, as "better" games with complete freedom of motion asserted their dominance. Yet when Almost Human released the very old-school Legend of Grimrockin 2012, it found enough success beyond the nostalgic oldster demographic to ensure a sequel—and that sequel is now playable from the very beginning to the very end.

"We sneakily went past a very important milestone just a while ago. Legend of Grimrock 2 is now in alpha!" Almost Human's Antti Tiihonen wrote in a new. "The definition of milestones of course varies from one company to the next but I think our alpha is, relatively speaking, a 'strong alpha'."

That, he continued, means the game is playable from start to finish, and all planned features have been implemented. It's not anywhere near complete, obviously, and "there are still features and content that lack polish and refinement, and balance and progression of the game is not complete." But it is, as Tiihonen put it, "whole."

Tiihonen said he and fellow Almost Human Petri Hakkinen have been applying polish to the game's many areas in advance of the move into beta testing. They pick one section of the game each day and focus on fixing the biggest issues that arise during gameplay, but also tackle game design issues, visual glitches and other problems that may crop up.

"One day for each area is not a lot of time but doing a pass like this over the whole game really improves the overall experience since this way we always tackle the weakest spots of the game without getting stuck into details for too long," he wrote. "This also helps us by breaking down the game into more digestible bits that we can focus on since trying to polish the whole game at once feels like an overwhelming task and it would always be difficult to decide what would be important to do next."

Legend of Grimrock 2 will offer the same core experience as the original game—which is good—but promises some big changes, too, including more monsters with improved AI, an overhauled interface, a new playable race and even outdoor environments. The game should be out later this year.

Jurassic Park's Laura Dern joins the cast of Star Wars: Episode VIII

Look, I know it was unlikely that they'd just stop after The Force Awakens , but it still feels wonderful to say that Star Wars Episode VIII is absolutely, definitely happening. The latest news to hit from Looper director, Rian Johnson's in-production sequel is a selection of new cast members. We already knew that Benicio del Toro will play a villain , but an official announcement means we now know

Benicio Del Toro to be the villain in Star Wars Episode 8

Benicio Del Toro might be about to land himself in hot water with Disney head honchos after an interview with Spanish news outlet confirmed he will be playing the villain in Star Wars: Episode 8 , while also revealing when cameras are set to begin rolling on the project. “ Star Wars is coming up, we will see how that turns out,” said Del Toro, when asked by the station how his schedule is looking for

Build Monsters and Fight Your Friends in Fat Mask

The idea is simple: create combos that earn the player points, and bigger combinations mean more points that can be earned.

The idea is simple: create combos that earn the player points, and bigger combinations mean more points that can be earned. However, Fat Mask adds a twist to this idea: Any opponent can claim a player’s combination by adding on a new matching part. Local multiplayer adds an element of chaotic fun to this action-puzzler game.

In Fat Mask , players create monster combos by piecing together matching parts. The monsters have a timer before they combine into the fully grown monster; the bigger they are before the timer runs out, the more points that the player can earn. When the timer is still running, other players can add matching parts to the monster to try to steal the combination and earn the points, instead. To immediately earn the points, the player can place a block next to the target block to end the timer.

Each monster has its own unique property that changes how players can interact with the environment. Use a Green Monster to jump higher, while a Red Monster will make it harder to move; players can use the monsters to their advantage against other players, and power-ups – shot out by the larger monsters – can be used to disrupt different combos.

Fat Mask offers multiple game modes include competitive, time attack solo mode, arcade co-op, and a team battle. There are both single- and multiplayer challenges that help the player unlock new content to use in the game.

Paper Cult Gamesis launching a Kickstarter campaigntoday, October 6 th, 2015, to help fundraise for more content. For those interested in pledging, a demo will be sent to backers at the proper tier rewards as soon as the campaign, if successfully funded, ends. The demo offers four characters, three levels, and three different monster species.

Fat Mask is slated for release in early 2016 for PC and Mac with the potential to be launched on PS4, Playstation Vita, Xbox One, and the Wii U. The game will be available in English, French, and Russian at launch.

For those interested in helping fund the game, pledge via Paper Cult Games’ Kickstarter page. For more information on the team and development, check out the team’s website, follow them on Twitter, or “like’ their page on Facebook.

Styx: Master of Shadows sequel teased in holiday trailer

Styx: Master of Shadows, a third-person stealth game starring a grumpy goblin with a taste for creative murder, was actually pretty good.

Styx: Master of Shadows, a third-person stealth game starring a grumpy goblin with a taste for creative murder, was actually pretty good. It earned a solid 78 in our October review, which said it "weaves an entertaining Grimm-like yarn in and around twenty hours worth of furtive fun." With any luck, the next one will be even better—and yes, there will be another.

Word of the sequel came by way of a very brief, silly teaser, in which the eponymous assassin expresses the true depth of his holiday spirit. "Styx will be back in a new adventure, without his Santa hat," it concludes. "Stay tuned!"

And that's it. Not the most thoroughly-detailed game announcement of all time, perhaps, but definitely good news for Styx fans.

Tiny Terror is Unleashed Between Heartbeats

Between Heartbeats is a shoot ‘em up by developer Blimbu Games.

is a shoot ‘em up by developer Blimbu Games. After a medical experiment goes horribly wrong, two nanobots named E.G.O.R and C.E.C.I.L are sent into a human body. Inside the human host, the two robots must work together to sort out the catastrophe that’s been caused by a powerful virus. Players take control and blast their way through wave after wave of countless enemies hell-bent on destruction, smashing up as many of the virus spores as they can while repairing the damage left behind.

In Stream

E.G.O.R and C.E.C.I.L both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s up to the player to master switching between the heroes to overcome the challenges. C.E.C.I.L is the brains of the two, being able to maneuver quickly and heal. E.G.O.R is the muscle. He packs a punch looking to shoot every virus strain he can find. The two robots are guided by scientists Emily Raddings and Brian Mills, who closely monitor the nanobots’ progress.

BloodCells

Between Heartbeats is currently in development, but is estimated to release in 2016 on Steam for Windows PC, Mac, Linux, as well as Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U. To learn more about the game, “like” on Facebook, follow on Tumblr, or follow on Twitter. To back the game visit the Kickstarterpage. To learn more about the developer Blimbu Games, visit their website, “like” on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.

FIFA 16's USWNT is among the most popular teams worldwide

There was some, let's say consternation , earlier this year when Electronic Arts announced that FIFA 16 would include women's national teams from England, Germany, the US, France, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, China, Italy and Mexico.

FIFA 16

from England, Germany, the US, France, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, China, Italy and Mexico. It was also the first game in the history of the franchise to feature a woman on the cover, which had Alex Morgan of the US Women's National Team sharing equal space with Messi. Despite the predictable grousing from certain quarters, according to a report bythe addition of women to one of the most popular games in the world has actually worked out pretty well.

"If you take the US Women as a singular team and you look at the 600 teams you can play with on a global basis, not just in the US, the US Women, they're actually the 23rd-most played team around the world in FIFA 16, which is a stunning statistic," EA Sports COO Peter Moore revealed at BlazerCon. A "better stat" is that Morgan, the cover athlete, has already scored more than one million in-game goals, even though FIFA 16 has only been out for two months.

Some of that success may arise from the fact that the popularity of soccer has taken off in recent years. Moore said the FIFA player base has doubled from 2013 to 2015, and that more people in the US play Real Madrid-Barcelona than in Spain. And he claims some credit for it, too, adding, "We believe we've been instrumental, the invisible hand in driving this love of the game."

It's clear that the addition of women players to the series has paid off, and there's no doubt that they'll be back for FIFA 17. But there may be a few changes made between now and then: Midfielder Heather O'Reilly, who was also at BlazerCon, said she's not happy with her overall player rating of 81. "I was disappointed in my speed, to be honest. I'm a lot faster than that."

Video: A postmortem look at the making of Alphabear

Last year Spry Fox had a hit on its hands with the free-to-play mobile game Alphabear , but it wasn't the studio's first attempt to make a word puzzle game with cute bears.

It wasn't the studio's second attempt, either. Alphabear's pair of predecessors both failed, for different reasons, "but we said fuck it, third time's the charm," said Spry Fox CEO David Edery at GDC this year.

He was introducing his postmortem of Alphabear 's design and development, which encompasses lessons Spry Fox learned about making great free-to-play games and (perhaps more critically) earning revenue from those games.

It was a great talk, and now you can watch the whole thing for free via the official GDC YouTube channel.


About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vaultand its new YouTube channeloffers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech

Wormhole City Looks Like an Industrial Space Haven

Described as a sci-fi adventure with gravitational force physics, Wormhole City is a 3D platformer that mixes racing, puzzle and action elements within its gameplay.

is a 3D platformer that mixes racing, puzzle and action elements within its gameplay. The game, which is currently being developed by Zenrok studios, is on Kickstarterwith a funding goal of $7,500 USD. Created using Unreal Engine 4, Wormhole City promises players a realistically rendered world bursting with neon colors, and a darkly intriguing story.

In Wormhole City , players walk in the shoes of a reactivated android with no memories, who has been tasked with the private protection of the city. To survive, the android must rely on bounties and odd jobs that will hopefully lead him towards finding clues about his missing creator. Wormhole City is under the careful watch of Mega-corporation Grail Industries, but the citizens are plagued by corruption, and disease runs rampant in the lonely streets, fueling an inevitable torrent of anarchy. Combat-wise, Wormhole City features a vast amount of weapons and accessories, such as grenades, sentry drones and gravity boots that will provide players with the necessary means to tread through hostile environments. The vehicle range varies from a futuristic dump truck to a flying taxi, which will be able to race on walls and ceilings using gravitational force physics.

In addition to puzzle-solving gameplay that allows climbing, jumping, shooting, and the discovery of hidden objects, players can also engage in cross-planet racing with rival AI in a series of roller coaster circuits. The AI mechanics are advanced across land, sea and air, and will detect your presence should you brazenly approach them. Zenrok Studios initially plans to release Wormhole City on PC, with Mac and Linux versions to follow. You can follow Zenrok Studios on Twitterto stay in the loop about the latest game updates.

FIFA 16 to feature women players on the cover for the first time

EA Sports announced in May that, for the first time ever, FIFA 16 will feature playable women's teams .

FIFA 16

. Today the studio followed that up with the announcement that, also for the first time ever, female players will appear on the front of the box.

The "headliner" on the cover, across all regions, will once again be Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona. But in the US, he'll be joined by Alex Morgan, a 2012 Olympic gold medal winner and key player on the US Women's National Team that won the 2015 Women's World Cup. The Canadian release of the game will be adorned with an image of Christine Sinclair, the captain of the Canadian women's national team and one of the most prolific scorers in international competition, with 155 goals over 225 appearances to her name. And for Australia, a fan vote selected Stephanie Catley of the Portland Thorns for the cover.

"As soon as we knew Women’s National Teams were joining FIFA 16, we immediately recognized that Christine and Alex would be the perfect cover athletes based on their accomplishments and what they represent for their respective countries and the sport of women’s soccer," said David Pekush, senior manager of North America Marketing for EA Sports, who was presumably quite pleased for Catley as well. "They are exhilarating players and exude heart and courage on the pitch, and we are extremely proud to be working with them this year."

Personally, I think this is great—I mean, why not, right?—but it's no secret that stories like this don't always bring out the best in everyone. And so, a gentle reminder: As we said in the post announcing women's teams in the game, if you can't say something without being hopelessly sexist, please don't say anything at all. For further guidance, here are the rules and guidelineson comments. FIFA 16 is out on September 22 and we'll have a further hands on before then. Meanwhile, we'll have to make do with the console boxes.

FIFA 16

GDC Hands-on – Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is a very enjoyable way to die.

is a very enjoyable way to die. It places players in a strangely forgiving world, and then asks almost nothing of them save that they explore and learn about the solar system.

I had the good fortune of getting to talk to some of the team behind this new exploration game, by which I mean we all stared at each other awkwardly until someone eventually offered to let me play the game. What can I say. I have a way with people. Soon enough, I was a weird little alien chap, being told that it was almost time for another launch, which maybe wouldn’t kill me, probably, provided someone had fixed those attitude thrusters. To kill time, it was suggested that I go see some folks about last minute astronaut training, and then get the launch codes. First up though: zero-gravity training.

For some reason, the aliens have managed to find a cave that lacks gravity. Moving about in zero-gravity is pretty standard for any gamer (especially if they’ve been playing, say, Space Engineers too often), and Outer Wilds didn’t try for anything crazy in this regard, but even with previous experience, it takes some getting used to. Once I had that mastered, I headed over to the miniature, remote-controlled spaceship to learn how to fly. I sucked at that, but after successfully landing once or twice on a stump, and only blowing up half a dozen times, I headed up to the observatory to get the launch codes.

And there is where things got weird. I met some fellow aliens in the observatory, toured the space museum they had, which included a Weeping Angel-esque stone that teleported whenever I looked away from it, a gravitational anomaly that let me walk onto the wall, and, naturally, a map of the solar system. Alongside that last was where I found the alien who gave me the launch codes I needed, and, thinking I had seen all I needed to see in the observatory, headed for the exit. Naturally, an ancient alien artifact on display turned of its own accord and shot a bunch of symbols into my brain. You know, like all stone heads do.

Once the lifeless artifact was done accosting my brain, I wentt down to the launch pad to get this interplanetary show on the stellar road. Naturally, I died pretty quickly.

On my first flight, I turned on the autopilot to go to one scary, thorny “planet,” and promptly flew into the sun. Luckily, the way Outer Wilds deals with death is to have the alien artifact rewind you back to just before you launched, and then set you free to roam again, now knowing such important information as: “Flying into the sun is generally a bad idea.” On my second flight, I flew mostly manually to my original target, a collection of mists and giant thorns that could only be called a planet by a fantasy writer. This time, I was much more successful, insofar as I did not turn my ship and fly into star fuel. I did, however, almost get eaten by a stellar angler fish, which I knew to be a possibility, but I had decided to risk it anyways. Luckily, I avoided being eaten, but I did have to hop out of my ship to repair it enough to fly away.

Finally, after leaving this brambly world, I headed for a strange pair of worlds that appeared to exist solely to dump sand on each other. Enormous, terrifying funnels of sand would pour from one planet to another, and I could not discern their purpose or an explanation, either on foot or in my ship.

And it was here that I took the headphones off and handed them back to the dev team, because it was at that point that I knew I could lose many, many hours to exploring the solar system that was Outer Wilds. It also gave me a lot of insight into why it and its team won the grand prize at the 2015 Independent Games Festival.

Outer Wilds is an indie game simply about exploring a strange, strange solar system, and parallels our own in that we really don’t know everything about the planets that surround us. We know enough to know none of them are pouring sand on one another (probably), but not nearly enough to say much beyond their observable, physical properties. And people really, really want to know what is on any and all of these planets.

You can learn more about Outer Wilds and its team from their website. The game is currently in an Alpha state, and as such is not available to buy yet, but you can download the Alpha for Mac, Linux, or Windows PCs here. Let us know whether your journey into the Outer Wilds goes any better in the comments below!

EA Sports defends FIFA Ultimate Team "Price Ranges"

Electronic Arts says the recent addition of Price Ranges to FIFA Ultimate Team , which assign minimum and maximum values to players on the Transfer Market, was necessary to keep the game "fair and secure" for everyone.

FIFA

, which assign minimum and maximum values to players on the Transfer Market, was necessary to keep the game "fair and secure" for everyone. And while some fans aren't happy about it—as the startling response to anything that EA's FIFA account tweetsattests—the changes do seem to be working.

EA Sports warned last summerthat it would be "more proactive" in its efforts against coin sellers, and it turns out that it wasn't messing around. In Septemberit eliminated trade offers, then in February it removed access to the Transfer Marketfrom the web and companion apps—temporarily—and earlier this month came the price ranges.

"What are we trying to achieve with these changes? It’s simple—we want to keep the game fair and secure for everyone, and ensure a level playing field for all FUT fans," EA explained. "To accomplish this we have to root out the activities of coin farmers and cheaters who are harming your experience with the game. These exploiters generate coins illegitimately in the FUT economy through the use of bots and phishing scams, creating a flood of fraudulent in-game currency and driving up the cost of players on the Transfer Market. This inflation fundamentally damages the economy, making top players unattainable for the vast majority of FUT fans who are not exploiting the system and who simply want to play the right way."

More than 650 adjustments have been made to player prices since they were implemented, which EA said has helped cut back on illegitimate coin transfers, but it also acknowledged that it will take some time yet to really nail things down. Last week it updated the system to include different price rangesfor each platform, to "bring minimum and maximum prices better in line with the perceived value within those economies." Messi, for instance, with an OVR of 99, is 5.9/8.8 million on Xbox and PC, but 11.7/15 million on the PlayStation.

"Since implementing these changes, we’re seeing positive signs of restoring balance to the FUT economy and mitigating some of the negative effects of exploitation within the game. We’re also delivering on our responsibility to provide you with a safe place to play," EA wrote. "We continue to invest in security tools, and promise to continue to find the right ways to fend off coin sellers and farmers who are hurting the game. We imposed a daily limit on matches, which has also had a positive effect in stopping coin farmers from generating illegitimate coins. But we have more work to do."

The post also noted that EA Sports is still working on bringing the Transfer Market back to the web and companion apps, but doesn't have a time frame for when it will happen.

Halo Anniversary's maps available as Reach DLC on Tuesday

Halo's legacy multiplayer maps, brought back from the dead for Combat Evolved Anniversary, will also be available as DLC for Halo: Reach, says Microsoft, and they'll be available fairly soon. This is good news for anyone who's played the original's single-player campaign to death (so much so that they don't feel like ponying up for the new Anniversary edition) but misses going PvP on maps that went

Guacamelee! Developer’s New Game Coming Exclusively to PS Vita

Drinkbox Studios created a wonderful look for their previous game, Guacamelee!

, and this same striking style will be carrying over into their new title, Severed . Unlike Guacamelee! , you’ll only be able to get this game on PS Vita when it comes out in Spring 2015. With its touch controls, it looks like it will be making use of the system’s neat capabilities to give players an interesting first-person hack and slash experience.

Hacking and slashing implies a kind of careless approach to combat, but Severed ‘s first-person combat requires precision cuts for players to get through it. Starring a one-armed heroine wielding a living sword, players can increase her powers using totems and some light RPG elements. The totems she can equip are all gained from unbalancing the bosses you face and severing their limbs as well, so aimlessly slashing at them won’t do players much good in the long run. Touch screen controls will allow for some specific strikes, meaning players will be expected to carve their enemies up just right into order to remove some limbs and get new gear or upgrades.

Don’t expect straightforward monster fights from the game, either, as Drinkbox’s signature style has created some strange beasts. How do you cut limbs off of a hostile constellation, anyway? The game is not going to make it easy for players to know which limbs to cut off or where to attack, showcasing many different monsters with weak points that may be difficult to pinpoint. The heroine’s journey doesn’t look like it will be an easy one, but at least Drinkbox’s art style will make it easy on the eyes when it comes out in a few months.

For more information on Drinkbox Studios and Severed, you can head to the game’s websiteor follow the developers on Facebookand Twitter.

Indie Links Round-Up: Wildest Dreams

“The 2013 the Boston Festival of Indie Games announced that it will present a night of video game and chiptune music from some of the world’s most exciting performers in Boston, Ma.

hohokum_e3_Indie_Links

Today’s Indie Linksfeature pieces on Dungeon Smash, Hohokum and Iron Soul – among other intriguing titles.

BostonFIG and Harmonix Present Boston Plays Indies(GamePolitics)“The 2013 the Boston Festival of Indie Games announced that it will present a night of video game and chiptune music from some of the world’s most exciting performers in Boston, Ma. The one-day event, Boston Plays Indies, is being sponsored by music game developer Harmonix and BostonFIG. It will include music from the Video Game Orchestra, chiptune musician DJ Cutman, Bastion composer Darren Korb, and live musician/visualist deadbeatblast.”

Hohokum preview: a whimsical playground for PS3, PS4, and Vita(Shacknews)“Perhaps no game better exemplifies Sony’s current indie-friendly cross-platform approach than Hohokum. The upcoming PS3, PS4, and Vita game takes a decidedly different approach, with playful vector-like graphics, an indie-artist collaborative soundtrack, and non-penalizing gameplay–inviting you to relax and explore in a whimsical playground.”

Dungeon Smash trailer brings the Gauntlet vibe on Xbox Live Indie Games(VG247)“Dungeon Smash is a top-down fantasy affair similar to Gauntlet, and it’s out on Xbox Live Indie Games now.”

A-Mused: Make Collaborative Music With Muse(RPS)“We found something beautiful, intimate and personal you can do with friends, and it has nothing to do with naughty bits: it’s Current Circus’ new game Muse, an exploration game with procedural audio generation. You begin the game as a spirit traversing an environment full of neon anemones, floating jellyfish, glowing coral, and as you inspire musical creatures they begin to build your composition. You can then modify and visualise your personal song by discovering features throughout the world. Have a look at the video: it’s just what everyone needs on a Monday morning.”

A Solid Platform: Iron Soul(RPS)“A fresh blip has appeared on the RPS radar, and it’s comes in the shape of a third-person platformer with shooty bits, Iron Soul. It’s a sort a Tomb Raider meets Deadspace, if such an intermangling can readily be conceived. The devs explain: “To make it happen, the team drew inspiration from various school 3rd person titles we all know and love (Name dropping MDK!). Such elements are reinvigorated within a industrial setting full of mad robots, unknown voices and mysterious compounds. It has been a long, two year journey for both the development team, project and its protagonist, H-25 but we are finally there. Now we must stand united to withstand the upcoming force known as bot-mageddon!””

Atomic Ninjas trailer shows the hazards of multiplayer ninja combat(Polygon)“The first trailer for Grip Games’ Atomic Ninjas is all about tiny ninjas using tricks, gadgets and ninja powers to eliminate the enemy. Thanks to the ninjas’ radioactive powers “and their healthy lifestyle,” they cannot be killed directly. However, there are traps like lava pits, lasers and fire patches liberally scattered through the arenas, and players can use skills like telekinesis or throwing objects to knock their foes to their deaths.”

A Gorgeous Game Of Mystery And Survival On The Surface Of Mars(Kotaku)“You’re alone on the surface of Mars, and you’re running out of oxygen. What happened? How did you get here? How can you stay alive? And what mysteries lay hidden upon the Red Planet? Those are the questions at the heart of Lacuna Passage, an in-development exploration game from Random Seed games. ”

Ever Wanted To Make A Show Like Power Rangers? This Game Will Let You(Kotaku)“Indie group Behold Studios, who previously brought us the addictive RPG simulator Knights of the Pen and Paper, are now making a management game. It involves owning a sentai TV studio.”

These are your FIFA 16 system requirements

FIFA 16 , if I may invoke a broad stereotype, is a game that has perhaps a bit more appeal amongst the members of our UK team than it does with those in the US.

Fifa 16

, if I may invoke a broad stereotype, is a game that has perhaps a bit more appeal amongst the members of our UK team than it does with those in the US. But they're not here right now, and so it falls to me to deliver the game's system requirements, as recently revealedby EA.

Don't worry, I'm Canadian. You can trust me.

Minimum Required Specifications:

OS: Windows 7/8/8.1 -64-bit CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.1GHz RAM: 4GB Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB Minimum Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon HD 5770, NVIDIA GTX 650 DirectX: 11.0

Recommended Specifications:

OS: Windows 8/8.1/10 -64-bit CPU: Intel i5-2550K @ 3.4Ghz RAM: 8GB Hard Drive Space Required: 15.0 GB Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon HD 6870, NVIDIA GTX 460 DirectX: 11.0

So there you have it. We talked about what's coming in the latest version of EA's long-running soccer (that's right, I said it) sim in an interview with Lead Gameplay Producer Aaron Hardy last month, which you may enjoy here. FIFA 16 comes out on September 22.

The human race has lost 235,000 years to Halo

Bungie has posted a final farewell to Halo fans on Bungie.net. Unsurprising seeing as they're not making the series any more (343 Industries appear to be doing a fine job with that). But in typical Bungie fashion, it's not just a short, sweet, 'so long and thanks for all the fish'. This message comes with some suitably epic multiplayer statistics gathered over the past eight years. And of course it

Charlotte Seeker Needs Crowd-Funding

Charlotte Seeker is a top-down, rogue-like twin-stick shooter set on an alien craft that’s been overrun by parasites.

Chicago indie developer BEARCOWBOYis seeking crowdfunding for their game Charlotte Seeker .

is a top-down, rogue-like twin-stick shooter set on an alien craft that’s been overrun by parasites. Players assume the role of Charlotte, and survival will take all of the twitch reflexes you can muster. Dodging projectiles and building up your multiplier is key in this title. Twitch streaming will also be directly integrated into the game.

BEARCOWBOY has raised nearly $3,000 for Charlotte Seeker , with an intended goal of raising $8,000. “We believe in this game, which is why we’ve been paying for its development out of pocket for the past six months,” the team stated on their Kickstarter page.

The guys at BEARCOWBOY, Joseph Hogwood and Dan Hernbrott, are looking for funding to add more levels, enemies, and power-ups. One environment is finished, and BEARCOWBOY plans to add at least five more.

Charlotte Seeker is coming this year to PC, Mac, Linux, and PS Vita. You can download a playable demo here.

Dev Links: Bug Hunt

Today’s Developer Links include articles on Infested Planet, The Unfinished Swan and the PS Vita.

Infested_Planet_Dev_Links

La-Mulana’s Takumi Naramura on the difficult life of a Japanese indie(IndieGames.com)“The following is a distilled version of Naramura-san’s talk at GDC 2013, accompanied by his own hand-drawn slides from the presentation. Naramura-san’s presentation starts with a very interesting slide.”

Video: The Unfinished Swan – from student prototype to PS3 exclusive(IndieGames.com)“Prototypes make excellent “tools for thinking.” That’s just one of the lessons The Unfinished Swan taught Giant Sparrow creative director Ian Dallas. In this free GDC 2013 video, courtesy of the GDC Vault, Dallas recalls what he learned while studying at USC, and what he wish he knew while he was making the PlayStation Network game.”

Thoughts on Slender: The Arrival(Frictional Games)“Slender: The Arrival is the commercial version of a free game called Slender. The original was based upon a a simple concept: find eight pieces of paper before the Slenderman, a now famous creature that started out as an internet meme, gets you. I wrote a blog post about the game when it was released and as a short experiment I found it quite interesting, but wondered how one would make it into a longer experience. So when I heard a commercial version was in the works I became quite curious, and gave it a go soon after release.”

Art Asset Overview #40(Wolfire Games)“In this Art Asset Overview, I demonstrate some experiments with 2D/3D art: assets that are painted by hand, but have some 3D structure to support layering and parallax effects. We were thinking this might be an appropriate style for the Overgrowth “metagame”, where the player makes higher-level decisions, compared to the concrete moment-to-moment decisions of stealth and combat.”

Go Indie! — Get Started Making Indie Games (An Opinionated Guide)(Independent Gaming)“The game development industry is divided into two: the AAA, and the indies. They aren’t inherently “rivals”, but they sure are different. Unlike the big guys, the indies are usually smaller and less significant. They have less budget (but surprisingly, they manage a lot more than what a big boy with tons of cash could achieve given the same amount of time), but they are more relaxed. It’s the indies who usually innovate, because they haven’t got a lot of bucks to lose anyway. However, the lack of budget usually means a less polished experience.”

Secrets of Quick Iteration in the Core Social Space(Gamasutra)“Plarium was founded in 2009, when casual games on social networks were at the peak of their popularity. As long time game fanatics, the founders of Plarium — myself included — were excited to begin developing games driven by the growing demand on social platforms.”

Sony tells us what’s going on with the PlayStation Vita(Gamasutra)“Following Sony’s forecast last week that it will sell less than 5 million PlayStation Vitas this fiscal year, I reasoned that the company appears to be ditching the Vita in favor of its upcoming PS4 launch.”

Summer of Infested Planet(Rocket Bear Games)“I’ve been hard at work making the next version of Infested Planet. Big things are coming up ahead, and I thought you might like a little glimpse of them. The next update is full of little tweaks and changes. For example, I completely reworked the main menu with the gorgeous illustration done by Fernando.”

Electronic Arts reports record financial results

Electronic Arts has reported better-than-expected results for the second quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, reporting non-GAAP net revenues for the three month period ended September 30 of $1.220 billion, well over its guidance of $1.140 billion.

has reported better-than-expected results for the second quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, reporting non-GAAP net revenues for the three month period ended September 30 of $1.220 billion, well over its guidance of $1.140 billion. Diluted earnings per share were also dramatically higher than expected, coming in at $0.73 compared to a prior guidance of $0.50. Operating cash flow for the quarter was $183 million, compared to a loss of $6 million in the second quarter of the previous year.

Sports and mobile (and especially sports on mobile) were particularly strong for the company: Net revenues for the FIFA, Madden NFL and Hockey Ultimate Team services were up 96 percent year-over-year, and its mobile sports games, led by Madden NFL Mobile and FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Mobile, increased their monthly active user counts by 250 percent.

"By emphasizing player engagement and our digital live services, we’ve grown revenue, expanded gross margins and delivered EPS [earnings per share] well above prior year and our guidance," CFO Blake Jorgensen said in a statement. "We are raising our annual non-GAAP net revenue guidance by $75 million to $4.175 billion and annual non-GAAP diluted EPS by $0.20 to $2.05."

The second quarter results prompted a not-insignificant spike in EA's share price, which jumped from $36.87 on October 28 to $40.05 on October 29. At last check, its price had edged up slightly further and was hovering around the $41 mark, almost double its value at the beginning of the year.

For those who neither know nor care about such things, EA also released a swanky infographic focusing more directly on its games. Enjoy!

EA infographic

Steven Spielberg attached (again) to Halo movie

The development of a Halo movie has been churning around the rumor mill for years, but according to hints lifted from a recent French press release for the new Halo: Cryptum book, a filmic adaptation may soon be coming our way from none other than Steven Spielberg. Roughly translated, the release (above) indicates Spielberg's Dreamworks studio will spearhead the production of a Halo movie for a 2012

Destiny review

Destiny review 8 We don’t know what Destiny is. It isn’t an MMO, though it takes a lot of cues from the genre, sometimes to its detriment, sometimes to its advantage. But it’s not just an FPS or an RPG, either. It’s some weird amalgamation of genres whose final form is something of a Frankenstein’s monster. But it’s powerful, and by God does it look good: Destiny is proof that Bungie wasn’t just lucky

Just Cause 3 has gone gold

The news comes from head of Avalanche Studios, Christofer Sundberg, via twitter.

Just Cause 3

#JustCause3 is..... GOLD today!! Awesome work to our team taking this creation of ours and have evolved it with excellence! #RicoWasHere October 22, 2015

From the sound of Sam's hands-on back in June, Just Cause 3 is embracing the player driven chaos offered in Just Cause 2, providing an even bigger playground and even more (usually explosive) toys. I'm especially excited to get my hands on the Far Cry style wingsuit, which combined with the grapple hook from the last game should make traversing the 1,000 square kilometre island a blast.

I know I've crowed on about this before, but games which make cool movement part of the core experience will always have a special appeal to me. I love that more and more games are incorporating it: even Minecraft is getting in on the action.

Just Cause 3 is out December 1.

Want to make some memories? Real memories? Play Rock Band!

I can see the comments section already--"Rock Band? Haven't we had enough of fake guitars?" "There are landfills loaded with old drum kits waiting for you back in 2007." It's true that the rhythm game craze has come and gone, dragging the glut of Rock Revolutions and Guitar Hero 12's into a shallow, plasticky grave known as the clearance aisle. Regardless, forsaking the entire genre because of a few

Dueling Indie Game Niddhog Gets Release Date And Announcement Trailer

The latest indie title from developer Messhof , Nidhogg is for those of you who crave some fast-paced old fashion off-the-wall dueling with your cup of morning insanity.

is for those of you who crave some fast-paced old fashion off-the-wall dueling with your cup of morning insanity.  The above announcement trailer (which gives away the game’s release date as January 13th via Steam), shows off some great retro graphics and the insane gameplay.

Niddhogg has been hotly anticipated for some time, snagging the  Game Design award at Indiecade 2013, and also nabbing the Grand Prize and Excellence in Design awards at the Independent Games Festival back in 2011. There will be both single player and multiplayer modes, with a tournament format to keep things competitive, so be on the lookout for this one.

Indie Links Round-Up: Face To Face

“Guerrilla Tea and Cancer Research UK are teaming up to develop a mobile phone game called GeneGame to help pinpoint new genetic causes of cancer, the companies announced.” “The sixth No More Sweden concluded with over 20 games jammed out over the weekend and Traffic Zoom Denial, Hype Snake, and Ynglet being voted as its best games.

Live-Free-Indie-Links

Today’s Indie Linksinclude pieces on a sequel to chess, the No More Sweden 2013 game jam winners, and an indie studio attempting to cure cancer.

Indie studio developing mobile game to pinpoint genetic causes of cancer(Polygon)

Freeware Picks: These are your three No More Sweden 2013 jam winners(IndieGames.com)“The sixth No More Sweden concluded with over 20 games jammed out over the weekend and Traffic Zoom Denial, Hype Snake, and Ynglet being voted as its best games. First place was Traffic Zoom Denial for Windows and Mac by Alex Camilleri, David Oppenberg, Mattia Traverso, and Michelle Westerlaken. Progress here requires using the mouse to place lights to stop the flow of traffic. However, true winning seems to be in losing, when the game says things such as “Driving home for Christmas… DENIED!” or simply, “Children…. DENIED!” when crashing.”

Well, Thank God, Someone’s Finally Making the Sequel to Chess(Kotaku)“Next time you complain about Half-Life 3 taking forever, consider this: the modern game of chess is believed to have originated in 1575, and only now is Chess 2: The Sequel coming out. And it’s an Ouya exclusive.”

New Xbox Live Indie Games for week ending July 19, 2013(IndiePub)“Best bets this week include: Dark Quest, a turn-based role-playing adventure game; Zombominous 2, a zombie survival game; Fish Warfare, where you must destroy toy enemy submaries; and Bulkhead Survivor, an action-packed FPS.”

Live Free, Play Hard: I Need To Get The Water Pumps Working For Caligula(RPS)“Post-apocalyptic adventure games. 1001 shards of a kiss. Magical police station.”

Kickstarter Katchup – 21st July 2013(RPS)“here have been plenty of weeks with no losers and several winners, but I can’t remember compiling this column and finding losers without winners to sit above them. There are lots of projects that are readying themselves for a spot in the winners’ section though, propped on the podium, parading their plaudits.”

Fishy Warfare(Indie Gamer Chick)“Fishy Warfare in the brook – Why does your game have no hook?”

Desktop Dungeons Beta Review(Independent Gaming)“Sometimes a game comes along that is so engaging that you can sit and play for hours and hours without any need for shiny graphics, an overarching storyline, or even fair and balanced gameplay. That was the Desktop Dungeons alpha build for me. A game that is still free from the developers, and just as fun as ever. But what happens when you take that same gameplay and add great art, a kingdom building story element, and balance out all the mechanics? The upcoming Desktop Dungeons release!”

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