Industry News / Upcoming Games

[shmity72]

THIS:

So, making some things optional is the easiest choice in some situations. In others, it's just that a game studio should decide which direction to take, and to stick with it. They don't owe us anything. There aren't one-size-fits-all games. You can never make everyone happy, so you have to create something you like, something that you're proud of, that you can call yours, and that you would like to play, too. And enough people will like it. Not everyone, of course. But if you try to make everyone happy by mixing in elements of successful recipes without leaving your own mark on it, or make just about everything optional to toggle on or off but then have a game that's totally unbalanced, you'll end up with a meh game that nobody has fun with.

 

[mlnevese]

Spelljammer is back! It has been confirmed for 5th edition tabletop! I know that this doesn't necessarily mean that there will be a new video game, but there's a chance!

D&D’s Spelljammer reboot looks unlike any other 5th edition adventure so far

The 3-volume set includes a 64-page adventure

www.polygon.com

I really wish they had made good Infinity Engine games based on Spelljammer and Dark Sun back in the day. Darksun really works well just on 2nd edition. There is no reason to play a defiler with later edition rules, for instance as there is no fast class progression. One of the causes that made Darksun a huge desert was that defiling magic was an easier and faster way to power.

 

[mlnevese]

Haha I'm so slow sometimes. I've read this, hit "agree" and thought yes, exactly what I think... and only later realized you were quoting what I wrote on page 1

Agreeing with yourself is a good sign that indicates there are no mental problems involved in your thought patterns... good job!

 

[mlnevese]

Xbox job ad suggests it’s not done with acquisitions | VGC

Microsoft is seeking a manager to identify potential M&

www.videogameschronicle.com

 

[Antimatter]

Any Dune fans here?

Dune: Spice Wars (released today in Early Access) is "a layered, clever, generally well-balanced RTS with great faction diversity that feels more or less finished even in its current early state".

Dune: Spice Wars Review - IGN

A clever, multilayered RTS that skillfully translates so much of what is cool about Dune.

www.ign.com

Who has played those old Dune RTS games in the '90s?

 

[mlnevese]

Square Enix Selling Tomb Raider, Deus Ex & Thief (And Their Studios As Well)

Let's see if the new owners can also be disappointed by great games that sell well

kotaku.com

 

[Antimatter]

GTA 5 Passes 165 Million Sold, As Red Dead Redemption 2 Reaches 44 Million

Rockstar's latest big releases continue to perform well.

www.gamespot.com

"Both GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 make even more money from microtransaction sales within their online modes."

 

[Chronicler]

 

[mlnevese]

I'm pretty sure people asked this question when mobile phones were invented, too, but what on Earth would you need a 500Hz monitor for?

https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-announces-asus-rog-swift-500hz-gaming-monitor-at-computex/

Because you want to play something at 500 frames/second? No don't ask me why someone would want a monitor with a higher refresh rate than the human eye/brain is capable of perceiving...

 

[Antimatter]

It seems the Early Access expectations trend (aka "stay away from EA / yet another EA / half-baked half-finished product / the lack of content) is changing. In 2021, it was Valheim, which was voted the Game of the Year by PC Gamer -- its quality was that high. In 2022, we first got Vampire Survivors, and now - V_Rising by Stunlock Studios!

V Rising's Huge Success On Steam Has Taken Even Its Developers By Surprise

The Vampire RPG...base-building...adventure...thing has come out of nowhere to take over Steam

kotaku.com

500k copies in 7 days for an indie game... When it was released, nobody knew about the game...***

***Actually, it's 1 mln now! The game is the top seller on Steam. This is how it works in today's gaming: the game is fun at its core, and word of mouth (user reviews) brings more and more people into it. Then the gaming sites notice the attention, and their own articles drive even more people to the game. So great to see!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1529174545487302657

 

[O_Bruce]

This might be a bit old news already, but there is a big update coming to two classic games: Little Big Adventure (1994) and Little Big Adventure 2 (1997). Things like steam achievements, cloud saves, controller support, and some quality-of-life changes to toggle on/off. And a new game+ mode as well

New Game+ modes for TLBA1&2 Classic - Twinsen's Little Big Adventure

Discover new modes for Twinsen's Little Big Adventure 1&2 Classic. New game+, controller support, new camera

twinsenslittlebigadventure.com

It is interesting that these games are getting any update at all in 2022. Some naive part of me believes there might be 3rd game in the works eventually.

 

[Antimatter]

On top of the ongoing fire around the Diablo Immortal launch (see the Diablo thread), here is today's major news:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1534568539201363972

 

[Antimatter]

After V Rising (which actually got to 2 mln players just after 1 month of Early Access, an amazing result), we have another hit going through the charts:

Neon White, Annapurna-published speedrunning shooter. It came out of nowhere, and I absolutely LOVE when such games go on fire!

Why Some Think Neon White is a Game of the Year Contender

Neon White is shaping up to be one of the most inventive titles of 2022, and it could propel the game to this year’s GOTY nominees.

gamerant.com

Neon White Really Is As Good As Everyone Says

The Annapurna-published speedrunning platformer is an obvious GOTY contender

kotaku.com

Look at the actual review screenshots posted here:

Neon White’s Steam Reviews Are Horny As Hell

But that doesn’t detract from how much players love this Annapurna-published speedrunning shooter

kotaku.com

 

[Fandraxx]

On top of the ongoing fire around the Diablo Immortal launch (see the Diablo thread), here is today's major news:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1534568539201363972

Bumping after I finally got around to catching up on most things E3.

At this point, as someone that has spent incredible amounts of time playing the Elder Scrolls games, I just find it impossible to excite myself for anything Bethesda might be doing at the moment.

I know the world got turned upside down, I understand that I was not personally all that huge a fan of Fallout 4, but, I feel like, at some point, but stops becoming an unjust expectation for them to release something at some point. Most of the last decade has felt like nothing but teases Elder Scrolls 6 (of which we've seen one picture that culminated in an effective "we're working on it") and Starfield, which we finally just saw some gameplay of at the Microsoft event.

Far as I'm concerned, they've turned into the George R.R. Martin of the gaming world. They love telling us hard they're working and how cool it's going to be, and then never actually get around to releasing anything.

Y'know, they being terrible to their staff doesn't help matter much, either.

 

[Antimatter]

Far as I'm concerned, they've turned into the George R.R. Martin of the gaming world.

Great minds think alike.

 

[Antimatter]

This is incredibly great news:

https://www.ign.com/articles/this-war-of-mine-added-to-official-school-reading-list-in-poland

A video game. Added to the school reading list. YAY! Also, that game is cool and man oh man, I would wish so many people around the globe played it (maybe we would get less violence this way). It explores the lives of simple civilians caught in the middle of an ongoing horrifying war. This game’s not for the faint of heart, but you won’t regret playing it to better understand the impact of war has on life for all people involved. The central focus of the game’s survival mechanics are of course the characters and there’s plenty to do to keep them going amidst crushing despair – not just food, water, shelter, and warmth, but emotional and psychological support and health, as you’re struggling with the elements, other people, and internal turmoil. On a greater level, This War of Mine subverts the expectations of simulation wargames, which gives that extra spice to make it one of the most interesting, vital, and compelling pieces of strategy gaming media to have graced the planet.

I'm looking forward to the next game by 11 bit studios, The Alters.

 

[Chronicler]

Sounds cool! I'd be interested in what kind of machine you need to run this game though. While it's rapidly becoming the cultural norm that a computer and internet are necessities for a modern student, it still seems worth considering that a book is generally something any student can read for $15, while a lot of videogames require you own an expensive operatus to play it on, above and beyond the kind of computer you'd need to run a simple word processor.

It says this one is currently "optional reading" which I guess skirts the issue to an extent, but while videogames getting cultural recognition is desirable, accessibility still seems like an issue we'll want to navigate as it happens.

 

[mlnevese]

Very low requirements. You can run it even on your phone.

 

[Antimatter]

Videogames "fans" should behave better. The "fans" who feel they're entitled to have a game (any game) look and feel exactly how they want and have no empathy for the how their words may impact someone who has put so many hours into their project. Reminds me of so many similar events with other games.

Return to Monkey Island creator will no longer talk about the game following abuse

Ron Gilbert, creator of piratical point and click adventure series Monkey Island, has made the decision to stop talking…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[O_Bruce]

Personally, I dislike the art style of that game, but I admit it isn't boring. It is better to have a game with an interesting but simplistic artstyle, rather than detailed and technically impressive but boring.

"Return to Monkey Island may not be the art style you wanted or were expecting but it's the art style I wanted," he wrote in May.
Understandable, but if the artist is doing his work for an audience, it would be a good idea to have the audience in mind while designing a game (it would be different story if artist did something just for themselves). I also think Ron Gilbert doesn't understand one thing about internet: as long as you are somewhat noticeable on social media, you'll get a lot of sh*t from people from even breathing wrong, not to mention presenting a product that doesn't look good for its audience. In light of that, shutting off because of something that seems unprofessional. I sense another creator who would blame everyone but himself. But maybe I'm mistaken.