Daedalic’s newest adventure, Night of the Rabbit, released on Steam

Daedalic’s newest adventure, Night of the Rabbit, released on Steam Posted: 28 May 2013 06:08 PM PDT A top-hatted boy with dragonfly wings, forests that glow oddly of their own accord, and parties attended by bespectacled animals? Night of the Rabbit is looking like the most whimsical, dreamy thing PC gaming has seen in quite awhile. It’s out today on Steam for $20. The German studio has called Night of the Rabbit its “biggest adventure game so far.” Them’s big words, given Daedalic’s pedigree in crafting old-school-inspired point-and-clicks. You’ll play wannabe magician Jerry, who’s followed by a white rabbit into the realm of Mousewood and other fantastic places. Claiming to clock in at 20 hours, Night of the Rabbit promises both light-hearted giggles and thought-provoking twists in a coming-of-age story. Many of the suit-wearing, party-attending rodents apparently have their own backstories too, which are included as in-game bonuses. Exclusively on Steam is the Premium Edition, which comes with the soundtrack and eight “audio stories” for an extra $5. Full details on the adventures with friendly frogs and happy hamsters can be found at the Night of the Rabbit website. The post Daedalic’s newest adventure, Night of the Rabbit, released on Steam appeared first on PC Gamer.

Scrolls beta release date announced, launch trailer released by Mojang Posted: 28 May 2013 05:21 PM PDT Mojang, the Swedish developer behind indie superhit Minecraft, has been teasing us with glimpses of its next game, Scrolls, for quite some time. After two years of development, a long period of alpha testing and a protracted legal battle with Bethesda, Scrolls is finally set for a beta release next Monday, June 3. In the new launch trailer, the blocky voxels of Minecraft have been replaced with cartoony animations, Battle Chess-style turn-based carnage, and Magic: The Gathering-inspired deck building and card collection. It’s a very different kind of game, but Mojang is hoping to deploy the same addictive gameplay and vocal online community that marked their first release. Players can expect to use their customized decks to battle computer enemies in single player or take to the online servers for human opponents and potential trading partners. For a complete recounting of the game’s systems and rules, check out the brief Scrolls guide and prepare yourself for next week’s open beta release. Scrolls's beta phase will be open to customers who buy in for $20 or £13, according to the official Scrolls blog. The post Scrolls beta release date announced, launch trailer released by Mojang appeared first on PC Gamer.

Contrast is a dual-world light-and-shadow platformer Posted: 28 May 2013 05:15 PM PDT Well, this sure is an oddball thing: Contrast has squished noir together with a vaguely circus-like aesthetic, and it actually kind of works. This good-looking platformer plays on light and shadow in the literal sense—you’ll be able to run around normally one moment, and in the next, switch to the world of shadow to reach areas not otherwise within reach. Are you faced with a shadowed urban chasm otherwise impassable to the normal person? Easy—your shadow-self can handle it. There’s a kind of camp, flashy feel to Contrast, echoing the trailer’s cabaret show. I imagine Contrast coaxing its players with a jovial “Step riiiiight up!” before plunging them into what looks like a rather gloomy, darkness-swathed plot centering around Dawn, a showy girl who’s at once the “most visible and yet most unknown” character in the game. Compulsion Games have announced a partnership with developer Focus Home Interactive, and now Contrast is scheduled for a spring 2013 launch. There’s some serious potential in the darkness. The post Contrast is a dual-world light-and-shadow platformer appeared first on PC Gamer.

Borderlands 2 DLC will cast Tiny Tina as a pen-and-paper GM Posted: 28 May 2013 05:14 PM PDT Borderlands 2's impossibly endearing pint-sized psychopath, Tiny Tina, is getting her very own DLC in the form of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. The new campaign content features the vault hunters playing a pen-and-paper tabletop game while Tina runs the action from behind her game master screen. In his video walkthrough posted to GameTrailers, Gearbox's creative director Paul Helquist is diligently cautious about calling this setup what it is: a riff on Dungeons & Dragons. Tiny Tina is instead the "Bunker Master" in charge of "the most coolestest game in the world," Bunkers and Badasses. "We are now actually experiencing the adventure that she is creating on the fly for the vault hunters." Helquist says in the voiceover, "We're having a lot of fun with the idea that Tiny Tina is in complete control over this universe and this environment that she has created." Inside the game, players are treated to a world filled with enemies stolen from fantasy worlds, like skeleton archers and orcs. Tina is a novice game master, and her voiceover narration shows a twisting, changing game world that "smells like butts and dead people." Unable to create a suitable name for an enemy on the fly, Tina dubs him "mister…boney…pants…guy?" and Mr. Bony Pants Guy is then made real. The environment gets a lot of comedy out of what it looks like inside Tina's terrifying little mind, and players will get a surreal, hilarious closing chapter to the Borderlands 2 saga. The baseline level for Assault on Dragon Keep is around level 30, so advanced players should be able to just jump in and enjoy more of the best co-op gameplay around. The newest and final DLC will be available June 25. The post Borderlands 2 DLC will cast Tiny Tina as a pen-and-paper GM appeared first on PC Gamer.

Is Crysis 3 getting some tropical island DLC? Posted: 28 May 2013 05:09 PM PDT Visions of paradise have tantalized us as summer nears; the Sims 3′s next expansion looms on the horizon, a mirage of houseboats and comical krakens and coconut-shell bikini tops. But what if you’re looking for something a little grittier? Well, signs are pointing to a possible Crysis 3 DLC—perhaps an island vacation with bullets whizzing past swaying palms. MP1st has been keeping an eye on Crysis 3′s social media streams, and its findings have been curious. Crytek has been publishing images from past renditions of Crysis—namely, the tropical scenery of Crysis 1. For instance, there’s this postcard-pretty view of a greenery-swathed waterfall—with what looks like a new weapon in the bottom-right corner. And then there’s the recently outed list of upcoming Xbox 360 achievements, including such wittily named feats as “Totally Oarsome” and “Wish You Were Here.” I’m envisioning smacking some canoeing tourists’ faces into a crystal-blue ocean with one of their own oars. So is Crysis getting back to its roots, eschewing the gloom of a future New York for a jolly jaunt in the jungle? It’s pure speculation for now, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we hear anything. The post Is Crysis 3 getting some tropical island DLC? appeared first on PC Gamer.

DayZ Standalone now in closed alpha testing, paid public alpha still on track for June Posted: 28 May 2013 05:05 PM PDT Hoorah! Dean “Rocket” Hall’s bandit-riddled, zombie-fleeing mod DayZ has been threatening to take on a life of its own the past few months, and that threat no longer lies dormant—Rocket revealed in an interview that some lucky fans are already playing the DayZ Standalone version. Speaking to Gamasutra, Rocket spilled the beans on the first batch of testers: players who have been rewarded for their loyalty to the brutal ArmA 2 mod the past couple of years. “So what we’re doing at the moment is, we gave free keys as a gift to the forum moderators, the Reddit moderators, people who helped out with DayZ development, and stuff like that,” Rocket explains. “I guess there’s about 30-100 people involved with that.” “From here, once we’ve finished our server/client architecture—because we’re moving it an MMO model—we’re reviewing the situation of that in June, and then we do an alpha, just like Minecraft.” There’s only one server in DayZ Standalone at the moment, but content updates are being delivered constantly. Like Minecraft, DayZ Standalone plans to charge a small amount to players during the public alpha, with the price increasing steadily as it nears completion. During alpha, Rocket plans to allow players access to either the latest stable build, or the experimental build on the developers’ desktops. Though the first proposed release date “sailed on by” while Rocket and friends worked to implement the MMO model, it’s looking like DayZ standalone is still on target for a June alpha release. The post DayZ Standalone now in closed alpha testing, paid public alpha still on track for June appeared first on PC Gamer.

DICE LA manager talks Battlefield, recruitment, and future Star Wars games Posted: 28 May 2013 04:58 PM PDT In an interview with IGN, DICE LA's studio manager Fredrick Loving discusses the studio's work on this fall's Battlefield 4 and keeps a solid poker face when on the topic of DICE's connection to EA's new Star Wars license. "I always talked about it in the sense of: we could literally be an extra floor in [DICE headquarters] Stockholm, but we are conveniently located in sunny California," Loving says. "And we want to recruit more people to DICE… It's a big step, but we are absolutely loving it at the moment… I think we work a bit differently than other games studios might do, so I think it is an interesting opportunity for game developers to come and work for us." "I'm super excited that EA signed Star Wars… I can only speak for myself, but I think the universe of Star Wars is very interesting and appealing to a lot of people. It has a lot of depth, it has a lot of very interesting characters… it's one of the world's biggest brands." Though the new studio was thought to be focusing on Star Wars games, Loving confirmed that DICE LA's first project is putting the finishing touches on Battlefield 4. "Everyone's working on it, and it looks absolutely amazing," he says. Check out the full video for Loving's thoughts on recruiting talent on the west coast and some action-soaked gameplay clips from Battlefield 4, which will be released in October 29 in the US, October 31 in Australia, and November 1 in Europe. The post DICE LA manager talks Battlefield, recruitment, and future Star Wars games appeared first on PC Gamer.

Humble Indie Bundle 8 discounts Hotline Miami, Awesomenauts, Dear Esther, and more Posted: 28 May 2013 04:19 PM PDT Summer has always been a bit of a lull when it comes to video game releases. It's the time of year where we hear more about the upcoming fall releases rather than actually, you know, playing games. Luckily, we have the Humble Indie Bundle 8 to keep boredom, UV rays, and those treacherous, shark-filled oceans at bay. The Humble Indie Bundle traditionally features recent indie darlings for the low, low price of "whatever the hell you want", and this year is no exception. No matter what you pay, you'll get access to Little Inferno, Awesomenauts, Capsized, Thomas Was Alone, Dear Esther and their soundtracks (and Steam keys if throw in a dollar or more). Linux users should be happy to know that the Linux versions of these games are also debuting with the bundle. Forking over more than the average purchase price (a modest $5.72 as of this writing) will net you Hotline Miami and Proteus plus its soundtrack. Yes, you might be saving up for the pricey GTX 780 that your annoying friend already has, but maybe you could skip eating today? Like always, you can choose where your money goes, rationing out which developers and charities get your hard-earned bitcoins. You have a full two weeks to decide who gets what while stocking up on harpoons for the inevitable shark invasion. The post Humble Indie Bundle 8 discounts Hotline Miami, Awesomenauts, Dear Esther, and more appeared first on PC Gamer.

Warframe update boosts ninja quotient with clan Dojos and new weapons Posted: 28 May 2013 02:11 PM PDT A new content update to Warframe adds blades, buildings, and more to the Digital Extremes third-person action title. Update 8.0 Rise of the Warlords brings new locations to the game universe for clan and coop play, and also introduces—for the first time—some rusted-out, enemy-packed Grineer starships to explore. “It’s the biggest update to date, for sure” said Digital Extremes producer Dave Kudirka in a recent dev studio video. While segments of the new content are still in an alpha phase, clans now have access to a player-designed Dojo environment where they can set up research facilities and dueling rooms in order to access new weapons or test each other in friendly matches. To access the new Dojo feature players must join an existing clan or start their own and will pool in-game resources in order to fund new construction projects. The free-to-play sci-fi game, in which you pilot Warframe power armor, already offered a fluid and interesting mix of shooter and ninja-based melee combat scenarios, and it looks like Update 8.0 puts some new playstyle options on the table. More than 20 new weapons have been added, including throwing daggers, energy weapons, and biological toxins. The full list of changes and fixes can be found here. Members of the development team will also be hosting a livestream to answer questions and introduce the update Wednesday at 2 p.m. EDT. The post Warframe update boosts ninja quotient with clan Dojos and new weapons appeared first on PC Gamer.

Crusader Kings 2: The Old Gods sets sail with hardcore, beard-glorifying launch trailer Posted: 28 May 2013 12:06 PM PDT I’ve been more excited about playing as pagans in Crusader Kings 2 than anything else PC gaming related so far this year, and the wait is finally over! The medieval grand strategy juggernaut’s fifth expansion, The Old Gods, has released with a “Hardcore” trailer that pairs 9th century vikings, beards, and boats with one of their greatest anachronistic complements: shredding electric guitar riffs. Even if you don’t purchase Old Gods, you’ll get the fairly massive Patch 1.10 for free. If you need more details on the expansion to decide if you want to grab it, I’ve been following every tidbit of pre-release info home at night and analyzing it all through its windows while it sleeps. The short version? It has vikings now. Now is also a good time to get caught up on the first Crusader Kings Chronicle. Nudge nudge. The post Crusader Kings 2: The Old Gods sets sail with hardcore, beard-glorifying launch trailer appeared first on PC Gamer.

Nvidia court Youtubers with ShadowPlay recording feature: “like Sky Plus for PC gamers” Posted: 28 May 2013 10:30 AM PDT Nvidia have just launched their latest high-end graphics card, the GeForce GTX 780, and an impressively quick, but expensive card it is too. Alongside that we'll also be getting some interesting updates to the GeForce Experience as well, including the intriguing ShadowPlay feature. GFE is about to become an opt-in component of the Nvidia's driver downloads, and given that it's already had around 2.5 million downloads in its beta form already those numbers are likely to get bigger. That means it's only going to get better and more reliable too, according to Nvidia. I spoke to Nvidia about GeForce Experience at the GTX 780 reveal last week. "From our perspective," said Nvidia's Ben Berraondo, "GFE gets better and better the more the community feeds back into it. It's one of those apps that organically gets better and better over time." "GFE has now become an integral part of having a GeForce card," he continued. "It will become just as integral as a driver; it is a crucial part of the whole story." It's not just getting organic improvements from the community either, Nvidia is making innovative moves with it too. The new ShadowPlay feature is likely to be included around E3 time and Nvidia is likening it to "Sky Plus for gamers." That's not a bad description given that it's a future function in the GFE app that allows you to set ShadowPlay to continuously record anything up to the last 20 minutes of any gaming session. You can choose resolution and audio settings to suit and because it's mainly a hardware based recorder it minimises the performance hit on your machine while it's doing it. Nvidia are estimating that it should only represent around a 3% performance hit depending on your settings, and supposedly doesn't have any impact on frame times either. ShadowPlay builds on the way SHIELD taps into GFE to stream content from your gaming rig by utilising the H.264 encoder built into the Kepler GPU. Sadly then that means only GTX 600 series cards and up will be able to use the feature It's really tapping into the burgeoning YouTube and Twitch TV gaming audience, making it easier for GeForce owners to record HD gaming and get it out there, as long as they have a Kepler GPU or above of course. The post Nvidia court Youtubers with ShadowPlay recording feature: “like Sky Plus for PC gamers” appeared first on PC Gamer.

The Forest interview: survival, horror and the VR wilderness Posted: 28 May 2013 10:20 AM PDT The sparking ruins of an abandoned plane fuselage; the lush greenery of a heavy woodland; and briefly, the low growls of an awakening mutant tribe. It’s only a minute long, but the first teaser trailer for The Forest is dense with atmosphere. I contacted Ben Falcone, creator and lead designer for the game, to learn of the systems behind their tense and panicked sneak peek. Read on to learn about the necessities of survival, how Oculus Rift support will envelop you in terror, and if a tree falls in a forest, and only cannibals are around to hear it, will anyone hear you scream? Open-world survival is a genre in ascendence right now. From the deceptively charming Don’t Starve, to the intricacies of Miasmata, and, of course, the expanding sandbox playground that is Minecraft. The Forest takes its inspiration from a different source. “Our focus is much more on a survival horror experience,” Falcone tells me, “letting players experience being in the world of 'The Hills Have Eyes' or an 80's Italian cannibal film.” “Our focus is much more on a survival horror experience” Try to contain the automatic eye-roll at a game/film comparison. The exploitation-driven cannibal horror boom of the late-seventies/early-eighties centred on primal fears – the sensation of being in the presence of something ostensibly human, but unrecognisably feral, and of the unease that – despite their depravity – they can still hold a mirror to ourselves. Beyond the infamy and violence, there was an emotional intensity that provides a perfect core for a systemic survival horror game. The Forest puts this into practice with the island’s mysterious tribe. SKS Games are staying quiet on their exact nature, but Falcone reveals that they aren’t just mindless monsters. “We want the players to feel empathy for them. We've taken some inspiration here from the novel 'I Am Legend'. There is some question as to who is actually the enemy: them, or you. You’re the one who is invading their forest.” The reason for your invasion is a plane crash, and that means you’ll start the game lacking the necessary means and resources. While you can scavenge supplies from the plane, those provisions will quickly expire. After that, it’s down to you. “Food and water are both really important, there are lots of lakes you can drink from, but if you're hungry you have to either hunt/trap small animals, or plant your own garden.” “During cold nights you'll need to either make a fire or stay inside to keep warm” Naturally, you’ll need tools. Here the developers hope to keep the player in the game world at all times, rather than lessening the immersion through crafting menus. Find a stick, for instance, and you can sharpening it on a rock to create a rudimentary spear. More complex creations are possible through your backpack, which will let you search through and combine small items. “We're trying to build in a lot of interactivity in everything,” Falcone says. “We have no traditional story or cutscenes so our focus needs to be on making the world as dynamic and emergent as possible. We want it to be engaging just to spend time in the world.” Beyond basic sustenance, you’ll also need shelter and protection from the elements. “During cold nights you'll need to either make a fire or stay inside to keep warm. You can sleep at this point, however you should hope you’ve set up some traps or defenses outside first.” As the game continues, you’ll need to continuously press further for certain materials. “One of our big features is that every tree in the game world can be chopped down, drastically changing the forest permanently. (although chopping down every tree would probably take months to do).” It’s not just the trees. Over-hunt an area, and the animal population will start to dwindle. Gather too many berries and mushrooms, and you might pick your surroundings clean. That dedication to realism extends to the cannibalistic tribe. “We have a set number of enemies you are battling, not endlessly spawning creatures coming from thin air,” Falcone reveals. “You’re hiding huddled in a corner and watching them search for you” “Again, like I Am Legend it's possible to spend the days thinning out the enemies numbers, and players can if they wish and are able to wipe them all out.” Not that it’ll be an easy task. The Forest uses a melee combat system. You can use traps and fire to gain the upper hand but for the most part you’ll want to stay out of sight. “Enemies are pretty smart … we found the game's scariest moments come when you’re hiding huddled in a corner and watching them search for you.” SKS also plan to support longer-term goals that can vary based on the player’s preference. “Some players will want to just spend time building up a base and defending against enemies, others will want to go explore and find new things about the gameworld.” Falcone confirms that the island itself holds certain mysteries, teasing that, “we have a bunch of stuff for players to uncover.” In a genre so focused on immersing the player in the solitude of the wilderness, the Oculus Rift seems like a natural extension. “It's a perfect fit,” confirms Falcone. “Exploring the forest during the day becomes at times a magical experience, and at night or deep in a random cave a terrifying nightmare.” But the device comes with some peculiar technical hurdles too. “Since it's so new there are a bunch of challenges to overcome. Scale was the most surprising thing. The first time I walked out of the plane into the forest with the rift on, everything looked wrong. “Small logs looked massive, the enemy characters looked like miniatures. Getting scale correct and consistent is one of the biggest things in making the game world feel real.” Despite the challenges, the development team are persisting and experimenting – most recently trying a character body model, letting VR players look down and get a sense of their presence in the world. “We're hoping we can get this working well since it massively enhances the feeling of being connected to the gameworld.” Which means, if successful, you’ll be able to look down and see yourself getting pinned, mauled and torn at by an angry tribe of mutant cannibals. If nothing else, the YouTube reaction videos should be a sight to behold. The Forest is due out later this year. You can vote on the game’s Steam Greenlight page here. The post The Forest interview: survival, horror and the VR wilderness appeared first on PC Gamer.

The Evil Within screenshots show the horror of a world without cleaners Posted: 28 May 2013 09:30 AM PDT Would you look at the state of this place. Sure, it’s an evil hell world of death and terror, but is that any reason to forget basic hygiene? What are those shambling monsters doing when you’re not around to be chased? Could they not pick up a mop? Well, it’s too late now. These screenshots of The Evil Within have released in all their grimy, blood-soaked glory. “While investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder, Detective Sebastian Castellanos and his partners encounter a mysterious and powerful force,” explains the game’s description. “After seeing the slaughter of fellow officers, Sebastian is ambushed and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a deranged world where hideous creatures wander among the dead. “Facing unimaginable terror, and fighting for survival, Sebastian embarks on a frightening journey to unravel what's behind this evil force.” The Evil Within is due out next year. The post The Evil Within screenshots show the horror of a world without cleaners appeared first on PC Gamer.

PC Gamer US Podcast #353 – What’s in the box? Posted: 28 May 2013 09:07 AM PDT This week: We’ve seen the competition from the big three that the kids are calling “next gen.” Evan, Tyler, and T.J. discuss what this means for the PC. CS: GO is getting a new mode that lets players evaluate one another. We get all meta and evaluate it. Plus: Diablo 3 one year later, listener questions, playlists, and more. Xbox, play PC Gamer Podcast 353 – What’s in the box? Have a question, comment, complaint, or observation? Send an MP3 to pcgamerpodcast@gmail.com or call us toll-free at 877-404-1337 x724. Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed. Follow us on Twitter: @ELahti (Evan Lahti) @tyler_wilde (Tyler Wilde) @AsaTJ (T.J. Hafer) @belsaas (Erik Belsaas, podcast producer) The post PC Gamer US Podcast #353 – What’s in the box? appeared first on PC Gamer. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Wolfenstein: The New Order screenshots show Blazkowicz at war Posted: 28 May 2013 08:27 AM PDT The post Wolfenstein: The New Order screenshots show Blazkowicz at war appeared first on PC Gamer.

Endless Space announces Disharmony, the turn-based strategy’s first full expansion Posted: 28 May 2013 07:07 AM PDT Endless Space is already a disharmonious place, with multiple factions locked in turn-based 4X fighting. And the game’s developers, Amplitude Studios, have been busy stoking the fires of this conflict, having previously released four free add-ons, introducing new units and factions to the game. Now they’re set to unleash the biggest galactic overhaul yet, with Disharmony, Endless Space’s first full, paid-for expansion. A teaser trailer gives you an idea of what to expect. Sort of. Right, yes, okay… We’ll probably need to go elsewhere for firm details on what the expansion contains then. Like Amplitude Studios’ Disharmony page. The star of the pack is the new faction, “The Harmony,” who are described as having a “unique play style,” albeit one that hasn’t yet been revealed. In addition, the expansion will include new units, including fighters and bombers, and an overhauled adaptive AI system. Here’s the full feature list: “A brand new Faction called "The Harmony" with the main objective to ANNIHILATE DUST!” “New fighters and bomber units that will completely change the shape of combat, especially with the new Battle Formation and Targeting systems” “A complete rework of the Ship Design Interface giving an improved Weapon System that includes family types for modules (short, medium and long range)” “New invasion mechanics have been added: prepare the population for bombardments, sieges and land invasions” “Expect to face a real challenge when playing against AI opponents with the new Adaptive Multi-Agent Artificial Intelligence System (AMAS)” “Four new heroes (Games2Gether)” “A new option to disable exchange of technologies, as a request from the Multiplayer community” “New Rally Points feature for newly built ships to reduce micromanagement” “We're lucky to have a motivated team and even luckier to have such an incredible community,” said Amplitude CEO Mathieu Girard. “Our expansion pack has been designed based on player requests and community G2G votes, and we hope that it fulfills – or surpasses – their expectations.” Disharmony will launch this Summer, and will cost $9.99 The post Endless Space announces Disharmony, the turn-based strategy’s first full expansion appeared first on PC Gamer.

Darkwood trailer delivers top-down scares from the atmospheric horror roguelike Posted: 28 May 2013 05:00 AM PDT Welcome to the twisted world of horror game crowdfunding, where a developer’s most effective method for raising money is to scare the living bejesus out of their potential audience. Which explains this second chilling look at Darkwood, the top-down horror roguelike that’s currently raising funds through IndieGoGo. At least they were sensible enough to stop the video from autoplaying on the funding page. Developer Acid Wizard describes the game as: “A top-down, oldschool, sandbox survival horror set in a procedurally generated, open world. It features RPG and roguelike elements, with intense combat and a eerie atmosphere.” From the released footage, it seems somewhat reminiscent of the excellent Teleglitch, albeit with the action slowed to an effective and tension-stretching crawl, and the previewed item interactions hinting at a far more versatile tool system. Darkwood has raised just over $27,000 of its needed $40,000 total, with 9 days to go before funding closes. The game’s also looking for votes on Steam Greenlight. And if those four minutes of atmospheric chills weren’t enough for you, here’s an earlier video: Thanks, VG247. The post Darkwood trailer delivers top-down scares from the atmospheric horror roguelike appeared first on PC Gamer.

Square Enix want earlier interaction with customers, look to Kickstarter as inspiration Posted: 28 May 2013 03:38 AM PDT After a disastrous financial year, in which Square Enix not only failed to make their expected profits, but were hit instead with by massive financial loss, the company’s senior executive managing director Yosuke Matsuda has been looking at Kickstarter as a possible guide to improving “asset turnover”. Which isn’t to say they’ll attempt to raise $100,000,000 for a Tomb Raider sequel via the crowd-funding site. ($110,000,000 stretch goal: add some proper tombs.) Instead, Matsuda wants Square Enix to interact with its customers at an earlier stage. “One could go as far as to say that in today’s times, making customers wait for years with little to no information is being dishonest to them,” Matsuda said, in an earnings call two weeks ago. “We’re no longer in an age where customers are left in the dark until a product is completed. We need to shift to a business model where we frequently interact with our customers for our products that are in‐development and/or prior to being sold, have our customers understand games under development, and finally make sure we develop games that meet their expectations.” “There is a crowdfunding website called ‘Kickstarter,’” he continued, “which does not only serve as a method of financing for developers, but I believe should also be seen as a way to unite marketing and development together by allowing us to interact with customers while a game is in development.” Matsuda also pointed to Steam’s Greenlight and Early Access initiatives as ways in which game makers are communicating with their community: “Valve’s Steam Greenlight and Early Access, are also very interesting, in that they raise the frequency by which we interact with customers, increasing their engagement and reflecting customer needs. We are also looking at what initiatives are possible from this perspective. What should we present to our customers before a game is finished, how can our customers enjoy this, and how do we connect this to profitability, is something we are thinking about implementing, and which can improve our asset turnover in the process.” Traditionally these services have been used by smaller developers, with smaller communities, making direct engagement a more manageable prospect. How Square Enix would scale these ideas out onto a much larger scale remains to be seen. But more openness and interaction from the publisher surely can’t be a bad thing. Thanks, GamesIndustry. The post Square Enix want earlier interaction with customers, look to Kickstarter as inspiration appeared first on PC Gamer.

Gunpoint release date, demo and pre-orders pounce into view Posted: 28 May 2013 02:33 AM PDT Gunpoint developer, PC Gamer section editor and PR mastermind Tom Francis filled the long weekend with the most professionally executed marketing campaign ever seen. On Saturday we got the 2D stealth/hacking puzzler’s release date's release date's release date, pointing to the next day’s release date's release date, which in turn led to yesterday’s announcement of the release date. It was like the world’s simplest ARG, in which the primary means of progression was calling Tom Francis a bad man. But now we finally have an actual, proper release date of June 3rd, along with a generous demo to give you a chance to leap, pounce and rewire your way through some of the game’s levels. Pre-orders are available through Steam and the Gunpoint website, and come in a variety of editions. In addition to the base game, there’s a Special Edition, which comes with soundtrack and sprite-based developer commentary. Or there’s an extra-special Exclusive Edition, which gives you access to prototype builds, a making of video, exclusive music and beta access to future games. All versions are discounted until the week after release. Writing about the reasons for the bonus editions, Tom says: “I've been working on Gunpoint for three years, and it could be a turning point in my life. If it does well enough, I will quit my job to become a full time game developer. I could make more games like this, hopefully better and more quickly. This would be amazing. “Gunpoint is not really a mass-market thing, but I've noticed that it just clicks with some people. If those people are happy to support it in exchange for a few extras, Gunpoint could succeed because of passionate players, rather than just a very large number of players. This would be amazing.”

So yes, go and give Tom lots of money so he can quit his job and- hey, wait a minute!
The post Gunpoint release date, demo and pre-orders pounce into view appeared first on PC Gamer.