برچسب: game

  • 27 years later, super realistic classic milsim game is getting a surprise sequel

    27 years later, super realistic classic milsim game is getting a surprise sequel


    Microprose is on a bit of a roll lately. The publisher has reached into a rich back catalog and supported new concepts through work on games like Dagger Directive, Exfil, Battlefall: State of Conflict, B-17 Flying Fortress, and Afterconflict. Now, Microprose has announced another project that returns to its past with Spearhead 2, sequel to a 1998 tank simulator akin to Steel Beasts or War Thunder, now returning with a focus on co-op play and modern military technology.

    Nearly three decades since the original simulation game launched, Spearhead 2 looks to pick up where its predecessor left off. Like the first game, the sequel will be a mix of simulation and action, with players heading into battle either alone or in co-op squads of up to 16 other people.

    The game’s missions take place across various regions of Europe and the Middle East, featuring vehicles like APCs, IFVs, and, of course, an M1A2 Abrams tank, all modeled closely on their real-world counterparts. Spearhead 2 emphasizes tactics, though its meant to offer immediate action, too, and requires careful thinking to handle objectives like defending bases, killing important targets, surviving or conducting convoy ambushes, and clearing cities.

    Though this sequel is the main part of Microprose’s surprise announcement, the publisher also plans to relaunch the original Spearhead on Steam as well.

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    Spearhead 2 doesn’t have a launch date yet, but you can find more details or wishlist it on Steam right here.

    While you’re waiting, you can also find more to play with our picks for the best war games and best co-op games already out on PC.

    You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.



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  • Hugely underrated medieval game Chivalry 2 is suddenly cheaper than ever

    Hugely underrated medieval game Chivalry 2 is suddenly cheaper than ever


    Torn Banner Studios has been busy working on the massive zombie survival game No More Room in Hell 2 lately, but, before it shifted attention to that project, the team put out Chivalry 2. The sequel to a 2012 game that brings the intense medieval battles of RTS games like Crusader Kings 3, Total War: Medieval 2, or Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlords into a more intimate, action-heavy focus, it serves as one of the most unique multiplayer projects to date. It’s now cheaper than ever to dig into the game for yourself, as Chivalry 2 is currently available at a steep discount on Steam.

    A kind of low technology take on the multiplayer FPS game, Chivalry 2 is a deep but immediately enjoyable game that pits players against each other as soldiers in a fictional medieval war. Our review gave it an 8/10, saying that Chivalry 2’s “unswerving dedication to fun and goofiness makes it a rare treat in modern multiplayer gaming.”

    Its mix of impactful combat, whose highlight is facing down enemies with melee weapons like swords or axes, and ludicrous, over-the-top presentation is excellent. Whether charging across a field on the back of a horse or screaming a war cry as clumps of soldiers stand around hacking at one another, Chivalry 2 is a good time for dedicated and less invested players alike.

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    Now is also a good time to give it a try. Chivalry 2 is 80% off on Steam until Thursday June 26, which makes it $7.99 USD / £7.19. Grab a copy right here.

    Or, you can find other options like Chivalry with our picks for the best medieval games and best multiplayer games on PC.

    You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.



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  • Game identification: placing unknown cards on a head band and guessing what’s on one’s head


    I want to know the name of the game where people pick cards, without looking at them, and place them on a band on their head, and they need to guess what is drawn on the card placed on their head.

    What is the name of the game?



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  • Vampire Survivors dev is publishing a $4 action game, and it’s out on Steam now

    Vampire Survivors dev is publishing a $4 action game, and it’s out on Steam now


    Since it launched in 2021, Vampire Survivors cannot be stopped. Poncle’s phenomenal bullet hell roguelike is one of the most successful indies on Steam, amassing a 98% positive user rating from nearly 240,000 reviews across its lifetime. That’s for good reason, too, as not only is the core experience infinitely replayable, but a collection of updates and DLC have vastly expanded what’s on offer. Vampire Survivors is easily one of the best value propositions available on PC today, and now Poncle has another one for you. The studio is publishing the incredibly vibrant and kinetic Berserk or Die, which has a truly bizarre control scheme, and it’s available right now.

    You’re the last soldier left on the battlefield, and with enemies approaching from all sides, you’ve got one job: survive. Set on a gorgeous 2D plane, that’s the core premise of Berserk or Die from Nao Games, a new action indie game all about chaining together flashy moves.

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    This isn’t like Castlevania, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, or any manner of classic platformer, though, because in Berserk or Die, you can only move by attacking. Hitting the left or right side of your keyboard attacks in that direction, and the more keys you press at once, the wilder and more powerful your moves. That’s right, you’re encouraged to smash your keyboard to bits with as big a strike as possible. Once you’ve obliterated enough enemies your special gauge will fill up, and you can then shake your mouse and unleash a move that’ll wipe through all the enemies on the screen.

    With multiple characters to choose from, and an array of weapons to equip them with, you’ll have more than enough ways to keep gameplay feeling fresh. If you manage to survive until nightfall, you can then visit a lone peddler to sell your wares, heal your wounds, and buy upgrades. You’ll do all this to a soundtrack from Vampire Survivors composer Filippo Vicarelli, too, so you just know it’s going to get your blood pumping.

    Berserk or Die out now

    “Nao Games shares the Poncle spirit of making games that are immediately accessible, affordable, and a bit out of the ordinary; for fun.” Poncle’s Luca Galante says. “When I first met Shibata-san and played Berserk or Die, I knew this was a game that deserved to be seen and played by more people. I’m really happy we got to support Shibata-san and hopefully make that happen.”

    Berserk or Die is available on Steam right now, for $3.99 / £2.99. Just head here.

    We’ve also got all the single-player games and best PC games you’ll want to keep an eye on as well.

    You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.



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  • Ludology: Ludology 339 History of the Game

    Ludology: Ludology 339 History of the Game


    Welcome!

    Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the hows and whys of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, as well as discuss game history, game design and game players.

    We post a new Ludology episode every other week. In these episodes, hosts Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim deep-dive into a single topic within game design, often with a well-regarded guest from the game industry. We generally focus on tabletop game design (mainly board games and RPGs), but we often pull in experts from all forms of games, from video games to escape rooms to slot machines.

    On weeks where there is no flagship Ludology episode, we will alternate between two smaller mini-sodes. Erica and Sen are happy to announce that Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games and Stephanie Campbell of TTRPGKids will be joining us for the next year, providing additional content between our longer episodes.

    Sarah’s segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, is a monthly feature that dives deeper into the other aspects of games beyond the dice and cards we’re all familiar with.

    Stephanie’s segment, TTRPGKids, explores how parents and teachers can use role playing games with children in the home and in the classroom.

    We hope you enjoy the additional content!

    Our History

    We aim for most Ludology episodes to be timeless, so you are welcome to explore our entire catalog. Most of it should age quite well. The podcast was started in 2011 by Geoff Engelstein and Ryan Sturm, with Mike Fitzgerald taking over for Ryan in 2015. Gil and Scott joined the show in 2017 when Mike stepped aside, and Emma joined in 2019 when Geoff ended his tenure as host. Emma left in 2021, and Erica and Sen joined us. Since then, Scott stepped down in 2022 and Gil will be hanging up his mic in 2023, leaving Erica and Sen to carry on this amazing legacy.

    Erica and Sen are working to bring new voices to Ludology and have some great things to announce as gaming expands to include even more people!

    Contact Us 

    Have your own thoughts about our topics? We encourage you to visit us at our guild on Boardgamegeek to get involved in a continuing discussion.

    You can also email us at hello@ludology.net.

    Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

    If you have questions that you’d like answered on Ludology, let us know by filling out this Google Form; you can also leave an audio question that we can use on the show, if you wish! 

    Burning Questions for Ludology

    Burning Question

    Support the Show

    Ludology is made possible through the support and donations of listeners like you.

    We currently have 3 “First Listen” series that will go out to Patrons well in advance of the audio being released to the wider audience.

    • The Memories that Made Us (monthly) – memories about gaming experiences that helped shape the people that bring modern games to life
    • Tales from the Designer Toolbox (monthly) – tips and tricks from industry pros learned from both success and failure
    • Ludology Live – recordings from conventions around the world

    Patrons will also get extra consideration for any giveaways that we might have!

    Become a Ludology Patron

    Become a patron

    You can also make a one-time or monthly donation here. The link will take you to Erica’s account. People who donate in this way will not have access to the Patreon page – sorry!





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  • After many bet against it, a PS5 State of Play is coming tomorrow with over 40 minutes of game reveals

    After many bet against it, a PS5 State of Play is coming tomorrow with over 40 minutes of game reveals


    Sony has officially announced that it’s going to be hosting an event in June after all. It’s going to be of the State of Play variety, and it will be airing live tomorrow. Sony has, in recent years, made a habit of announcing those livestreams one or two days before the event’s scheduled date.

    This June’s State of Play is no different, and it looks like it won’t be heavy on first-party games.

    This week’s State of Play will be live tomorrow, June 4 at 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm UK. In the announcement blog post, Sony said we can expect “news and updates” on games coming to PS5.

    “The show highlights a selection of great games from creators across the globe,” the blog post adds, which really doesn’t tell us much. It is clear, however, that this won’t be a first-party-focused show, though it is curious that Sony elected not to use the terms ‘first’ or ‘third-party’ in the announcement.

    In any case, this State of Play is going to a little beefy, clocking in at over 40-minutes-long. As always, you’ll be able to watch it live on PlayStation’s official Twitch, and YouTube channels.

    This week is going to be very busy with events and game reveals. Summer Game Fest’s live opening show is scheduled for Friday, June 6, and the first edition of IO Interactive’s IOI Showcase is taking place just a couple of hours later on the same day.

    Then, on Sunday, June 8, Xbox will take its turn to host its own showcase, which will be followed by a dedicated The Outer Worlds 2 direct, so it’s all popping off. EA and Ubisoft are seemingly going to sit this one out, but we wouldn’t bet against some of their rumoured and in-development games showing up at one (or more) of these shows.



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  • Ludology 340 Corporate Game Play

    Ludology 340 Corporate Game Play


    Welcome!

    Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the hows and whys of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, as well as discuss game history, game design and game players.

    We post a new Ludology episode every other week. In these episodes, hosts Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim deep-dive into a single topic within game design, often with a well-regarded guest from the game industry. We generally focus on tabletop game design (mainly board games and RPGs), but we often pull in experts from all forms of games, from video games to escape rooms to slot machines.

    On weeks where there is no flagship Ludology episode, we will alternate between two smaller mini-sodes. Erica and Sen are happy to announce that Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games and Stephanie Campbell of TTRPGKids will be joining us for the next year, providing additional content between our longer episodes.

    Sarah’s segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, is a monthly feature that dives deeper into the other aspects of games beyond the dice and cards we’re all familiar with.

    Stephanie’s segment, TTRPGKids, explores how parents and teachers can use role playing games with children in the home and in the classroom.

    We hope you enjoy the additional content!

    Our History

    We aim for most Ludology episodes to be timeless, so you are welcome to explore our entire catalog. Most of it should age quite well. The podcast was started in 2011 by Geoff Engelstein and Ryan Sturm, with Mike Fitzgerald taking over for Ryan in 2015. Gil and Scott joined the show in 2017 when Mike stepped aside, and Emma joined in 2019 when Geoff ended his tenure as host. Emma left in 2021, and Erica and Sen joined us. Since then, Scott stepped down in 2022 and Gil will be hanging up his mic in 2023, leaving Erica and Sen to carry on this amazing legacy.

    Erica and Sen are working to bring new voices to Ludology and have some great things to announce as gaming expands to include even more people!

    Contact Us 

    Have your own thoughts about our topics? We encourage you to visit us at our guild on Boardgamegeek to get involved in a continuing discussion.

    You can also email us at hello@ludology.net.

    Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.

    If you have questions that you’d like answered on Ludology, let us know by filling out this Google Form; you can also leave an audio question that we can use on the show, if you wish! 

    Burning Questions for Ludology

    Burning Question

    Support the Show

    Ludology is made possible through the support and donations of listeners like you.

    We currently have 3 “First Listen” series that will go out to Patrons well in advance of the audio being released to the wider audience.

    • The Memories that Made Us (monthly) – memories about gaming experiences that helped shape the people that bring modern games to life
    • Tales from the Designer Toolbox (monthly) – tips and tricks from industry pros learned from both success and failure
    • Ludology Live – recordings from conventions around the world

    Patrons will also get extra consideration for any giveaways that we might have!

    Become a Ludology Patron

    Become a patron

    You can also make a one-time or monthly donation here. The link will take you to Erica’s account. People who donate in this way will not have access to the Patreon page – sorry!





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  • New Elden Ring Nightreign mod already adds two-player co-op to the game

    New Elden Ring Nightreign mod already adds two-player co-op to the game


    While you can play Elden Ring Nightreign solo, Fromsoftware designed it as a three-player co-op experience. You’re supposed to squad up with friends or randoms online and drop into the land of Limveld, working together to get stronger before taking on one of the eight Nightlords and coming out victorious. If you were hoping to play as a duo, however, you can’t. That is, until now, as one of the most prolific Elden Ring and Dark Souls modders around has dropped an alpha version of a Nightreign two-player co-op mod, meaning you don’t have to wait for a third wheel to join your game.

    ‘Yui’ is by far one of the most recognized Fromsoftware modders out there. They’ve revamped the original Elden Ring and multiple Dark Souls games with Seamless Co-op, which makes playing online with friends infinitely easier. With these mods installed, your multiplayer sessions remain uninterrupted by bosses, fog walls, and death, meaning you can keep playing without repeatedly needing to rejoin each other. Now, Yui has brought this modding experience to Elden Ring Nightreign.

    Playing Elden Ring Nightreign solo is doable, but Yui’s latest iteration of Seamless Co-op lets you go through a run with just one other person instead of two. It’s currently in a rushed alpha state, meaning you’re more than likely going to experience bugs, but it still works. Yui also says they’ll expand it in the future, but notes that for now it only supports two or three player lobbies and has mod compatibility. Using Yui’s mod in the RPG won’t get you banned from playing Nightreign online, either, because it prevents you from connecting to Fromsoftware’s matchmaking servers and uses different save files – so keep that in mind.

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    As for official two-player co-op in Nightreign, this is actually something Fromsoftware is already looking into. Earlier this year the game’s director, Junya Ishizaki, said balancing runs for just two players is “something we are considering.” There’s no promise that it’ll come to the game at any point, but I’m glad to hear that Fromsoftware is at least aware of the community’s demand for it.

    If you’re playing Nightreign on PC, you’ll find Yui’s latest Seamless Co-op mod right here. Make sure you read all the installation instructions before downloading, though.

    As you run through Limveld, we’ve got a breakdown of all the Elden Ring Nightreign bosses and how to beat them. We also have everything you need to know about the Elden Ring Nightreign map, like where to go as soon as you drop in.

    You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.



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  • Pine Island Playtesters – Game Submission Review Process — Pine Island Games

    Pine Island Playtesters – Game Submission Review Process — Pine Island Games



    We reach out to those games’ designers and arrange a playtest. These playtests are usually with the designer on TTS, although I have been sent physical prototypes to test on our own.

    Pine Island Playtesters

    A relatively new addition to our community is our Pine Island Playtesters. These are insiders from the mailing list, discord, or Kickstarter who’ve expressed an interest in being more involved with the company.

    We loop in our playtesters for the handful of games that we are seriously considering signing.

    We usually have specific questions for our playtesters about game mechanisms, and how they view the game versus other games in the genre.

    There is still room for improvement in our process. But, it’s come a long way, and it couldn’t be what it is, and we wouldn’t have the opportunities we have, without this amazing community.

     

    If you’d like to be Pine Island Playtester and get a front row seat as we look at games to license, shoot me an email at jasper@pineislandgames.com.





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  • Prescriptive Tasks & Workflows – Board Game Publishing — Pine Island Games

    Prescriptive Tasks & Workflows – Board Game Publishing — Pine Island Games



    A task becoming more prescriptive doesn’t mean that it’s less creative. Even though I now have more frameworks around sourcing illustration or graphic design – they are still creative processes. It’s just that I now know how to approach those tasks.

    By the same token, a lot of tasks are iterative. But having a framework for how to approach tasks helps us iterate more efficiently and come up with better products.

    I like this way of thinking about and framing the business. It makes it easier to approach less-well-defined problems, knowing that working through them will help me learn and level up my games publishing craft.

    The next time they crop up they won’t be nearly as scary.

     

    Passing it On

    My hope is that Pine Island Games will grow as a company, and that some day we’ll have in house partners who benefit from the experience I’m building now.

    It’s also why I write this blog.

    I want to help other indie publishers learn processes and methods that help them on their journeys. It’s my way of giving back to this community, which I owe so much to.

    A lot of articles are like this, a little more philosophical and less full of specific device, but I also try and provide some real concrete advice.

    Our Nuts & Bolts series is for instance bite sized prescriptive advice on tackling specific publishing problems. I recommend checking them out:

    Game & Product Design

    Publishing

    Marketing

    Graphic Design, Illustration, Packaging & Iconography

     

    What’s is a complicated problem that you’ve developed a prescriptive method to tackle?





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