Man of Medan promotion adds free buddy pass to encourage online play
Until Dawn follow-up Man of Medan embraced the couch co-op potential of its predecessor by including a local and online multiplayer mode at launch, and is now offering a free buddy pass on all platforms to encourage more players to give co-op a try.
Developer Supermassive Games is offering a single buddy pass to Man of Medan owners that already own the game or purchase it before January 6, 2020.
That pass can then be handed off to another player, allowing the two parties to remotely play through the game’s story together a single time.
It’s a similar move to what other online co-op games like Wolfenstein: Youngblood have tried in the past and offers a way to introduce online play to players without requiring them or their potential co-op partner to foot the bill for a second copy of the game.
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived slightly later than usual (sorry!), and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region.As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch Retail – New Releases
BLACKSAD: Under the Skin(Microids, 28th Nov, £35.99 / €39.99) – The early 50s: Joe Dunn, owner of a boxing club, is found dead. Meanwhile, rising star Robert Yale, due to take to the ring for the most important fight of his career, has mysteriously disappeared. Sonia Dunn, Joe’s daughter, takes over the club and must deal with its financial woes. She hires private detective John Blacksad to investigate Yale’s disappearance and to find the missing man.
Professional Farmer: American Dream(United Independent Entertainment, 28th Nov, £35.99 / €39.99) – Professional Farmer: American Dream – the latest spin-off from the Professional Farmer series – takes you to a ranch set in the captivating landscapes of the Midwest. Surrounded by towering mountain ranges, build your dream as a rancher in America with lush fields as far as the eye can see! Drive your pickup and tractors, tend to your cattle, cultivate your fields and reap your harvest!
TheNightfall(United Independent Entertainment, 28th Nov, £35.99 / €39.99) – A new city, a new job and a new home – everything seems wonderful! But appearances are deceptive! You spend the first night alone in your new house! Darkness falls and a night begins that you have never experienced before. What begins with insomnia and a slight malaise becomes an absolute nightmare over time. This is a very special house that doesn’t just mean good to you! Will you be able to survive this night until dawn?
Switch eShop – New Releases
Pine(Kongregate, 26th Nov, £19.49 / €20.99) – A STORY OF HUMANS – Pine is an open-world action-adventure simulation game. Set in the beautiful world of Albamare, you take on the role of Hue, a smart young adult who will have to explore, trade, and fight his way through a vibrant world filled with creatures much smarter than humans.
Five Nights at Freddy’s(Clickteam, 29th Nov, £6.29) – Welcome to your new summer job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where kids and parents alike come for entertainment and food as far as the eye can see! The main attraction is Freddy Fazbear, of course; and his two friends. They are animatronic robots, programmed to please the crowds! The robots’ behaviour has become somewhat unpredictable at night, however, and it was much cheaper to hire you as a security guard than to find a repairman. From your small office, you must watch the security cameras carefully. You have a very limited amount of electricity that you’re allowed to use per night (corporate budget cuts, you know).
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2(Clickteam, 29th Nov, £6.29) – In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, the old and ageing animatronics are joined by a new cast of characters. They are kid-friendly, updated with the latest in facial recognition technology, tied into local criminal databases, and promise to put on a safe and entertaining show for kids and grown-ups alike! What could go wrong? As the new security guard working nights, your job is to monitor cameras and make sure nothing goes wrong after-hours.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3(Clickteam, 29th Nov, £6.29) – Thirty years after Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed it’s doors, the events that took place there have become nothing more than a rumour and a childhood memory, but the owners of “Fazbear’s Fright: The Horror Attraction” are determined to revive the legend and make the experience as authentic as possible for patrons, going to great lengths to find anything that might have survived decades of neglect and ruin.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4(Clickteam, 29th Nov, £6.29) – This time, the terror has followed you home. In this last chapter of the Five Nights at Freddy’s original story, you must once again defend yourself against Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, and even worse things that lurk in the shadows. Playing as a child whose role is yet unknown, you must safeguard yourself until 6am by watching the doors, as well as warding off unwanted creatures that may venture into your closet or onto the bed behind you.
Trover Saves the Universe(Squanch Games, 28th Nov, £17.99 / €19.99) – Your dogs have been dognapped by a beaked lunatic who stuffed them into his eye holes and is using their life essence to destroy the universe. You’re partnered with Trover, a little purple eye-hole monster who isn’t a huge fan of working or being put in the position of having to save the universe.
Widget Satchel(Noble Robot, 27th Nov, £10.79 / €11.99) – You are Sprocket, an adorable ferret on a remote space station. Escape your playpen and make your way to the shuttlebay with the most stuff! Widget Satchel is a thrilling adventure for one little thief, with fiendish puzzles, joyous platforming, and dozens of hidden collectables. As you stumble deeper though the station evading your human caretakers, you steal things like widgets and socks.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine(Serenity Forge, 29th Nov, £17.99) – Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a Narrative-Adventure game about travelling, sharing stories, and surviving manifest destiny. Featuring gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine combines 2D visuals with a 3D overworld US map. Players wander across a folkloric Depression-era United States at their own pace, meeting strangers with their own stories to tell.
Chameleon(UFO Interactive, 26th Nov, £4.49 / €4.99) – Play as one of four magical sisters as you battle to conquer your territory for the chance to play against the ultimate puzzle master! Utilize unique special moves, power-ups, and combos to get one step closer to becoming the champion!
GREEN VIDEO GAME (G.R.E.E.N. THE LIFE ALG0R1THM)(ESTACION PI, 26th Nov, £10.99) – Welcome to G.R.E.E.N. THE LIFE ALG0R1THM, an adventure through spectacular natural scenarios in which you will face the threats and challenges of lethal plants that dominate the earth. But beware, you can’t kill your enemies here, just petrify them and use them to your advantage, so choose wisely to survive.
Monster Jam Steel Titans(THQ Nordic, 26th Nov, £26.99 / €29.99) – Real Trucks. Real Action. Monster Jam! Monster Jam Steel Titans delivers the complete Monster Jam experience for everybody to enjoy! All the trucks, stunts, stadiums, racing and massive air in one game! Play in various game modes including Stadium and outdoor Racing, various Stunt Challenges and Destruction modes!
Chaos on Deponia(Daedalic GmbH, 27th Nov, £17.99 / €19.99) – Chaos on Deponia turns out to be even wackier than its predecessor and instantly puts the player under its spell. After the events on Deponia, it seems that Rufus came to his senses. He’s grown prudent, amicable, kind and caring, without any intention to cause major mayhem just to further his own selfish ends. It seems he is far from chaining himself to flaming saw blades, training torpedo-dolphins or foraging through platypus nests. Or is he?
Gemstone Keeper(Gamepopper, 27th Nov, £6.99 / €7.49) – Gemstone Keeper is an action twin-stick roguelike shooter where a brave explorer can traverse a large and mystical cavern to search for rare and precious gemstones. The deeper an explorer goes into the caverns, the more valuable gemstones that can be found, however at the risk of facing more of the dangerous and hostile creatures that live there, including creatures that are larger than life. Armed only with a gun, explorers must break through rocks to collect minerals and gemstones and fight off the creatures, and find the portal that can help them go back up to sell what they collect or go further down.
Real Heroes: Firefighter(Golem Entertainment, 27th Nov, £4.49 / €4.99) – For the first time on Nintendo Switch™, Real Heroes: Firefighter gives you a realistic point-of-view experience of the challenges firefighters face. Experience raging infernos and explosive environments in this truly unique action game. Use the firefighter tools of the trade, like axe, hose and saw to rescue survivors and control fires. You take on the role of a new graduate starting out at a big city fire station, gradually learn the tools of the trade and proceed to battle fires and other hazards.
Story of a Gladiator(Brain Seal Entertainment, 27th Nov, £9.99 / €9.99) – Story of a Gladiator is an arena beat ’em up where you take the role of a man in search of his destiny, only to find it in the sands of the colosseum. You are a common man who has lost everything in the war against the Roman empire. Your family is dead, your friends are dead, your house has been burned down and your land is now under Roman rule.
Amazing Brick Breaker(CFK, 28th Nov, £4.49 / €4.99) – Enjoy easy game control, clear graphic, and the best strike! Shoot the ball and destroy the brick. Colourful graphic expresses lively movement. Find the best launch angle to smash all the bricks! When the ball touches the wall and the brick, it bounces in the opposite direction. Make use of the angles and the location of the bricks to show effective brick break. Get as many balls as you can! Collect hidden balls among the bricks and make the best use of balls. You can break the bricks with many balls to challenge high scores.
Bowling(Sabec, 28th Nov, £8.09 / €8.99) – Grab your best bowling shoes and get ready to play this fun and easy to play bowling game anytime, anywhere. The aim of the game is to score points by knocking down the pins, just line up your shot by choosing the position, power and direction of your ball. Play against a friend or play against the computer’s smart artificial intelligence (AI) player, either way, winning won’t come easy. Just remember its precision and power that gets the best score and wins the game.
Decay of Logos(Rising Star Games, 28th Nov, £17.99 / €19.99) – Immerse yourself in the world of Decay Of Logos and unravel its mysteries. Explore old dungeons, battle unforgiving foes and journey through a vibrant interconnected fantasy realm with your mystical elk companion. Embark on a journey of revenge and betrayal set in motion by the destruction of our young adventurer’s village at the hands of Crimson Knights. Find solace in your trusty elk companion as you battle the unforgiving foes that roam this once peaceful realm. Venture into ancient ruins and dungeons in search of its rewards in a quest to find the truth behind the attack of Ada’s home. Read our Decay of Logos review
Electronic Super Joy(Hard Copy Games, 28th Nov, £8.66 / €9.99) – Electronic Super Joy is a visually stunning hardcore platformer set in a world of pulse-pounding electronic music. Run, jump, fly and smash your way through 50+ unique levels, featuring low-gravity, world rotation, giant monsters & swarming missile attacks!
Indie Gems Bundle – Explosions Edition(Plug In Digital, 28th Nov, £26.99 / €29.99) – Get these three exploding games in this fantastic indie bundle, at a discounted price! — Steredenn: Binary Stars is an award-winning mashup of a classic shmup and a rogue-like, carved in big beautiful pixels, with insane boss battles. Fly solo or co-op with a friend, fighting off the worst scourges of space in a never-ending struggle for survival. Endless chaotic space shooter. Ruthless roguelike inside. — NeuroVoider is a twin-stick shooter RPG set in a cyber futuristic world about brains shooting around evil robots with nuclear rocket launchers.
Knowledge Trainer: Trivia(the binary family, 28th Nov, £14.99 / €14.99) – Each lesson tests your wits with 10 questions from 10 different categories. The difficulty level depends on you. Get an answer right and you’ll move up a level. A wrong answer leads to an easier question. But you’ll want to move up to improve your Knowledge Quotient, which is recalculated after every round. In a multiplayer game, up to 4 players can compete.
Nyan Cat: Lost in Space(isTom Games, 28th Nov, £8.09 / €8.99) – Race through the candy-filled vastness of space with the internet’s #1 rainbow-riding nyan space cat in this casual platformer game. Nyan Cat: Lost in Space allows you to take flight as the most celebrated rainbow-propelled cat in internet history. Guide Nyan Cat through infinite space avoiding evil cosmic horrors, such as space dogs, while collecting intergalactic sweets.
One-Way Ticket(Zodiac Interactive, 28th Nov, £5.39 / €5.99) – One-Way Ticket is a visual novel loosely based around actual events. A group of men and women, isolated at sea on a long-distance fishing vessel, suddenly find their very humanity at stake as crew members begin turning up dead.
Skelittle: A Giant Party!(Plug In Digital, 28th Nov, £8.99 / €9.99) – Skelittle is a silly, colourful party game designed for fun with friends & family. Challenge each other in a series of 15 minigames and unlock objects to craft your very own game sessions in sandbox mode! Turn your house into a gigantic playground! The Skelittles are tiny toys who escaped from their cereal boxes. Play with them and turn your everyday environment into a gigantic playground! Run from the terrifying vacuum robot, steal the family dog’s yummy kibble or throw your friends into the deep end of your bathtub! Each minigame is different and features its own playful challenges.
Voxel Galaxy(SAT-BOX, 28th Nov, £6.07 / €6.81) – Voxel Galaxy is set in a near-future world that is a blend of space and cyberpunk. Use various weapons and equipment to take out your enemies in this easy-to-play action game. Voxel, year 20XX. On the planet Voxel that resides in the far reaches of space, a rebel army struggles in their battle with the Voxel Empire who are plotting to rule the Milky Way itself. The fighting grows more intense by the day…
Deathtrap Dungeon Trilogy(Nomad Games, 29th Nov, £7.99) – Play through three classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks by author Ian Livingstone – Deathtrap Dungeon, Trial of Champions and Armies of Death. Start as a novice adventurer and rise up through the ranks in these epic tales of deadly traps, fearsome monsters and devious adversaries. Relive these exciting adventures in a whole new way – by powering up your Skill and Luck dice and collecting powerful cards to help you on your quests.
FoxyLand(Ratalaika Games, 29th Nov, £4.99) – Help Foxy Fox on a dangerous journey to rescue his love, Jennie. Without your help, Foxy won’t be able to save her! Embark on an adventure to rescue Jennie! Jump and dodge past challenging enemies and traps while collecting gems and cherries across 36 levels. Dress up Foxy by purchasing additional accessories for him using the cherries you collect on your journey!
Happy Animals Bowling(LLC ROOM710GAMES, 29th Nov, £4.49) – When nobody’s looking, animals love to come together and organize bowling tournaments. Yep, they just love bowling! This time, the turnout was amazing! The little lamb is here, the crocodile is here, and even the champion Piglet Joffrey is here! Come on, it will be fun!
League of the Shield(NoobO Games, 29th Nov, £6.29) – League of the Shield is an arcade game for up to 4 players. Defend your fortress against moving balls using your trustworthy shield. Try to beat every other player to be crowned king.
Strike Force Kitty(No Gravity Games, 29th Nov, £4.49) – Strike Force Kitty is a humorous light platformer all about cats and kittens! Command a squad of four cute kittens to save an adorable princess! Train your tabbies into tigers and… power them up with 350+ costumes to gain superpowers! Fight big bosses on your way to save the princess!
Travel Mosaics: A Paris Tour(JetDogs, 1st Dec) – Embark on a breathtaking adventure to France: solve beautifully crafted themed puzzles, collect souvenirs and learn fun facts about your destination.
Don't Worry, The Simpsons Isn't Actually Coming To An End
The Simpsons composer Danny Elfman said on a recent podcast appearance that he's heard that the long-running animated show might finally be coming to an end soon. Thankfully for fans of the show, that is not true. Simpsons producer Al Jean confirmed on Twitter that reports about The Simpsons coming to an end in the next year are "not true."
Elfman said on the Big Reviewski podcast, "From what I've heard, it is coming to an end. I don't know for a fact, but I've heard that it will be in its last year."
In February this year, The Simpsons was renewed for Seasons 31 and 32 to bring the show to an unthinkable 713 episodes. This was the first renewal order following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox's entertainment assets, including The Simpsons. Some wondered if Disney would be committed to The Simpsons--which is an expensive show to produce--but the renewal order demonstrates the House of Mouse is investing at least in the near future.
Season 31 premiered in September, while Season 32 is expected to come in 2020.
Also during the podcast, Elfman said he remains "flabbergasted and amazed" that The Simpsons has been on TV for as long as it has--it premiered all the way back in 1989. He recalled that when he wrote the theme for The Simpsons--"this crazy piece of music"--he never expected it to catch on.
Elfman is also known for his numerous movie credits. He earned Oscar nominations for the music he wrote for Goodwill Hunting, Men In Black, Big Fish, and Milk.
In addition to more seasons of The Simpsons, Disney is reportedly working on The Simpsons Movie 2.
I was just sent a Clockwork GameShell, it’s a build it yourself open source raspberry pi powered handheld computer. What’s most appealling to me is how heavily focused on indie game developers this device is. This is not a review of the device but instead a description of the build process (stay tuned for a proper review!). So let’s take a look at the process from beginning to end and I’ll point out the few snags I encountered on the way. If you are interested in getting one of your own, they are available on Amazon.
The underlying specs of hardware are as follows:
New ClockworkPi V3.1:Powered by Quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, MaliGPU, Wi-Fi &Bluetooth, 1GB DDR3 Memory, 16GB MicroSD, HDMI output, GPIOs.
Keypad: Programmable Keypad and powered by an ATmega168P [email protected] with 30Pin Arduino compatibility GPIOs.
Lightkey module: 5 independent IO extended keys for shoulder buttons
GameShell Shells: 1 front shell+2 back shells
MicroSD Card: 16GB
OS: ClockworkPi OS,Linux 4.1x
Debug cable: 14PIN GPIOs
Let’s look at what you get and how you assemble it.
The Box
This is a extremely minor point, but I was quite impressed with the packaging the GameShell came in. Right away it’s generally just a higher quality of packaging and branding than I am accustomed to for these kinds of products, it does have a premium feeling as a result. Click any photo for a much higher resolution version.
The Contents
The inside of the box is several other boxes and a collection of plastic punch out components. In terms of equipment you need to do this build you are going to want a sharp knife at the very least. A fine file and pair of side cutters to remove the plastic attachments are also recommended, but I got by with just a knife.
Assembly
Now it’s time to start putting things together. The instructions are IKEA style (but thankfully better than most IKEA!) step by step pictographic instructions. The assembly is module by module. The primary modules are the screen, the battery, the main system board and the controller as well as the speaker (not shown).
Once these 5 modules are completed, its its time to mount the modules into the backplate and connect the various power wires between the devices. This is probably the trickiest part with one exception I will discuss in a minute.
Finally it’s a matter of attaching the front plate, attaching two thumb screws and praying you did everything right. And the final completed product!
The Gotchas
Assembly was extremely straight forward with only two snags. The first step is when creating the display module illustrated below.
Notice the inset diagram shows the cable being bent backwards, while the layer diagram does not show this? This is vitally important, you do in fact have to bend the display cable 180 degrees.
The second problem is actually around the same issue. Connecting the display ribbon cable to the main board should be done *BEFORE* you close the case around it, making it insanely difficult connect unless you open it.
The only other issue I ran into is occasionally they mounted the plastic pieces to the plastic frame at less than ideal locations. For example there was a mount point where the display cable needs to be fed. I had to make a special point of filing down the excess plastic to keep it from rubbing against or puncturing the fragile ribbon cable. It would be ideal if pieces were mounted slightly different, but its a small issue.
Now that I have the GameShell built, it’s time to start trying to develop games for it. Stay tuned for that video in the near future.
Dear Reader, I confess sometimes I begin to lose heart in the face of Apple Arcade’s full catalogue. Increasingly it reminds me of Netflix: a few high-profile standouts with many safer, color-by-numbers entries to fill out the rest. By and large, the best games are the most heavily featured, but there are still hidden gems, too. Hidden duds, too, but this write-up is precisely to spare you the hazards of blind tries.
A plus in the service’s column remains its ability to surprise and defy expectations, for good or ill. Read below for the gory details.
Rosie’s Reality (Puzzle) (1-Star)
This game really grinds my gears. Just like last time with the card battler, a genre near and dear has betrayed my optimism and come up incredibly short. A puzzle game this time around, my genre bias makes me a bit more picky, but this game even outside of the specialist standards is a weaker entry. Let’s start with the upsides: minimal narration is just twee enough to encourage relaxation and playfulness; character design and animation are just as perfect; the music and SFX are excellent. Incredibly cohesive and accessible, but the core gameplay wants to mix action/real-time elements into what is at heart a spatial & pathing puzzle.
Each level, Rosie needs to traverse a path by following blocks and avoiding adversaries and obstacles. The levels themselves are quite reliable, neither too vexing nor lenient, but they are all timed. Rather than incentivizing economical solutions, you get up to three stars based on the speed a level is cleared. The cardinal sin is how puzzles can be solved by simply clicking quickly, since blocks can be deleted and relocated halfway through a path. The building materials aren’t exhaustible, in other words. The mixture of time-based and classic puzzle solving diminishes both halves of the game. It’s easy and pleasant but fell flat almost right out of the gate.
Pilgrims (Adventure) (4-Stars)
Amanita games feel like elaborate storybooks brought to life. Painterly details, an emphatic musical score, character sounds full of onomatopoeia and colorful mutterings. They structured it as an adventure with a card-based inventory, too, which is a little on-trend but still tastefully done. Every item and interaction in the game begins and ends with playing a card, thereby summoning the depicted item and triggering some interaction. It is reminiscent of a classic point-and-click style adventure but has been deliberately miniaturised.
This only intensifies the cute factor. Some story obstacles are overcome with Occam’s Razor, others are devilishly convoluted. Generally speaking, though, any puzzles can be teased out with logic and experimentation. This is a relatively bite-sized forgiving game that can be completed in one long sitting and is worth it for the atmosphere and Eastern European style humor.
The Bradwell Conspiracy (Narrative/Puzzle) (5-Stars)
Now this is a great puzzle game. You wake up and try to escape a museum devoted in part to the Bradwells a family of renown for their pioneering achievements. Not to spoil things any further, but this one is eerie and personal, even as it makes rhetorical gestures towards larger themes about freedom, intellectual curiosity and technological solutionism. It is quite simply a very good game where the narrative and puzzle design march in perfect synchronisation towards a well-defined ending.
It is a tad short and the controls are a tad wonky, but these are minor complaints to lay at the feet of a quality release. As a side-note, there are quite a few games like this one on Apple Arcade, and what they generally have in common is that they’ve been in development a good while and have released on multiple platforms (several consoles, but exclusively only Apple Arcade for mobile).
Yaga (RPG) (3-Stars)
An action-rpg in which so many characters have been cursed to speak exclusively in rhyme. Named for Baba Yaga, the mysterious and menacing crone of Slavic folklore, the game begins in tale by cribbing liberally from Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty). A petty and corrupt king is promised mystical vengeance by a lady, and he does everything in its power to thwart the curse. You’re just a poor one-armed blacksmith running quests to try to improve your fortune.
Apparently you have the world’s most rotten luck, and in the course of these quests will grow stronger and luckier and win the favor of the king and Baba Yaga alike. It’s got crafting, characters and progression. Really nice balancing and customisation options. The visuals are a little rough around the edges, but the voice acting is richly theatrical. Decent but missable. Points for novel, rarely utilized mythology.
The Enchanted World (Puzzle) (4-Stars)
This is definitely a sleeper hit for puzzle fans. The whole natural world is magically active and resonant, so when corruption strikes and throws the environment off-balance, a young woman sets out to make things right. It’s about moving tiles, guys, but very prettily. The pleasing and bucolic setting might lull you into a false sense of security, though, for this game after just a little while gets just challenging enough to stay compelling. Its levels are short and punchy but also refreshing and inventive, with new mechanics being skillfully introduced early on.
From a pure puzzling perspective, I’d rate it even more highly than the Go series (Hitman, Lara Croft, Deus Ex). It’s about comparable in length, in terms of playtime if not raw content. The mechanic interactions are quite diverse and thoughtful, and while the core challenge is always straightforward (‘make a path’) it is constantly re-interpreted and thus always interesting. Accessible and high-quality, the best of both worlds.
—————
All in all, this batch was better than I was expecting. The way things currently stand, it seems like Apple Arcade is lousy with medium-weight puzzle- and narrative- heavy games, each with plenty of visual polish but somewhat well-worn gameplay grooves. Still there are some really slick and innovative entries, even outside of the big players. Even the average stuff is closer to a formulaic summer blockbuster, to put it in filmic terms, than an actual dud.
Because of the nature of the games and the service’s billing structure, Apple Arcade paradoxically rewards the periodic check-in and binge. The roulette-style approach is really nice; it removes the anxiety of selecting the ‘best’ and lets players trust their own judgement. The spirit of the age is full of expert recommendations and daedal algorithms, but I can tell you, one player to another, the arcade also rewards this roulette, of letting your attention wander and merely playing whatever, whenever.
A Cheap Nintendo Switch Lite Charging Station Is Releasing Tomorrow
Gaming accessory maker Venom is set to release a brand new (and very affordable) charging station for the Nintendo Switch Lite tomorrow.
Perhaps one of the most simple third-party dock designs we’ve seen, Venom’s new product has a USB-C charger which connects to the bottom of your console and little else to get in the way. Thanks to this, it should also double up as a decent way to display your console if you want to show it off or put it with your other gaming goodies at home.
As you might expect, the station is available in the three launch colours of the Switch Lite – Turquoise, Yellow, and Grey. Each can be pre-ordered as we speak for just £7.99 – you’ll find the links you need below.
A useful little charger for your needs? Or would you prefer to just use the standard plug included in the box? Let us know with a comment below.
Capcom’s going to be attending Jump Festa 2020, which runs from December 21st to the 22nd at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.
The company has already confirmed that it will be showing off Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC) and PS4 title Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, but it has also confirmed that it will be showing off four playable titles in total. That means we could be seeing at least one previously unannounced title at the event, if not two.
Any guesses on what we’ll be seeing? Could it be Switch-bound? Let us know your predictions by posting a comment below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-29-2019, 06:24 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Black Friday 2019: Best Xbox One Deals On Consoles And Accessories
Black Friday and Cyber Monday mean huge discounts on everything under the sun, and that includes some great Xbox One consoles and accessories, too. Xbox One consoles, controllers, and accessories are also compatible with PCs, too, which makes picking up a new Xbox One controller or headset to enhance your gaming experience especially tempting this holiday season.
Read on for the best Xbox One hardware deals we've spotted for Black Friday 2019; plus, check out more Black Friday coverage below for deals on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and more.
Xbox One X NBA 2K19 bundle - $269 with promo code 19CYBER10
Xbox One X with NBA 2K19 | $269 ($400)
This Xbox One X bundle is just $269 at Google Shopping when you use promo code 19CYBER10 at checkout. While it features last year's NBA 2K19, this is still an excellent price for the powerful Xbox One X console.
Xbox One X bundle with NBA 2K20 and $105 in Kohl's Cash - $350
Xbox One X with NBA 2K20 and $105 Kohl's Cash | $350 ($500)
You can grab the Xbox One X with NBA 2K20, the latest entry in Visual Concept's basketball sim series, for $350. That's a pretty awesome deal, and you also get $105 Kohl's Cash with your purchase.
Xbox One S bundle with two controllers and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - $100 off
Xbox One S with two controllers and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate | $100 off
This Costco bundle is also an enticing offer, with two controllers and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. There are more than 200 games available through Game Pass on Xbox One, and with Game Pass Ultimate, you also get Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass for PC. Costco members can get the deal right now.
Xbox One S bundle with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and $40 Target Gift Card - $200
Xbox One S with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and $40 Target Gift Card | $200 ($300)
Target's Xbox One S bundle is also quite enticing and may sell out quickly. It comes with the console, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and a $40 gift card.
Xbox One X (1TB) Limited Edition with Gears 1-5 | $349 ($500)
The stunning Gears 5-themed Xbox One X limited edition is available at Walmart for $349 right now. It comes with all of the numbered Gears of War games, including 2019's Gears 5.
Xbox One S with Gears 1-5 and Madden NFL 20 -- $200
Xbox One S (1TB) with Gears 1-5 and Madden NFL 20 | $187.43 ($300)
Google Shopping is making the Xbox One S Gears 5 bundle even sweeter by tossing in Madden NFL 20. Simply use promo code 19PREBF12 when checking out to secure this awesome deal. Other retailers such as Walmart have the Gears 5 Xbox One S bundle for $200, but the extra 12 bucks off and Madden NFL 20 makes Google Shopping the obvious way to go.
Xbox One S All-Digital bundle with Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Fortnite content - $150
Xbox One S All-Digital Edition Bundle | $149 ($250)
The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition doesn't have a disc drive, but there are still plenty of great deals on digital games in the Microsoft Store. However, you get two great games (Minecraft and Sea of Thieves) and some bonus content for Fortnite in this bundle--2,000 V-Bucks and the Legendary Rogue Spider Knight outfit.
Logitech G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel for Xbox One and PC - $207
Logitech G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel (Xbox One/PC) | $200 ($400)
Racing wheels aren't for everybody, but for big racing game fans--especially more simulation-focused ones--will love this racing wheel. It's compatible with both Xbox One and PC, so you can enjoy both platform's libraries of racers. The best part is this deal is available right now.
Starting on November 28, you'll be able to grab an Xbox-branded external hard drive at a discount from Microsoft. They come in 1 TB and 3 TB options, which normally sell for $65 and $110, respectively.
Valfaris: 5 Reasons It’s the Heaviest Metaliest Game of the Year
Summary
Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Slain: Back From Hell
Explore a diverse range of tainted environments as you venture ever deeper into the dark world of Valfaris
Full of brutal combat, deadly enemies, stunning pixel art, and a savage soundtrack
If you like your gaming experiences loud and over-the-top (and excellent), then you’re in luck – Valfaris, the heavy metal action-platformer, is available to download today for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store.
With its heady mix of relentless
run-and-gun thrills and rowdy ear-blistering riffs, here are five reasons why Valfaris
is the heaviest metaliest game of the year.
1. There’s a gun that fires tormented
souls (and 18 other extremely metal weapons to play with)
Sure, bullets are fine and everything, but shooting
tormented souls at your enemies? That’s metal. And the Hellwraith, one of
Valfaris’ Destroyer-class heavy weapons, does exactly that. In addition to
spitting tortured spirits at foes, the Hellwraith – which is a rapid-fire
Gatling gun style killamajig – also drips blood from its sizzling-hot muzzle.
And the fun doesn’t stop with the Hellwraith.
A total of 19 outlandish weapons are waiting to be played with, including the
Bringer of Mayhem (fires a plasma beam capable of combusting the internal
organs of multiple enemies), the Wolf Light (slowly cooks its target until they
burst, releasing spirit wolf heads that attack other enemies), and the Jelly
Whip (a fleshy weapon made for flagellation).
2. The soundtrack! Also, headbanging!
It can’t be heavy metal without a heavy metal soundtrack, right!? Valfaris obliges with an original score composed by former Celtic Frost guitarist, Curt Victor Bryant. Having previously worked on the Slain: Back From Hell soundtrack (the first game from Valfaris developer, Steel Mantis), Curt returns with 20 rad tracks, including “Torture March,” “Abysmal Souls,” “Birth of a New Death,” and “Lost in Time” (which you can hear in the trailer at the top of the page).
And you can’t have heavy metal without a little headbanging, right!? Valfaris delivers on that front as well – every time you collect a new weapon, Therion, the game’s long-haired hero, performs a celebratory headbang!
Bonus fun fact: There’s a weapon in Valfaris called Hellhammer, which also happens to be what Celtic Frost was originally called when they first formed.
3. You fight a bio-mechanical snake called Hell Cobra that lives in a toxic swamp and breathes fire (and it’s only a mini-boss!!!)
The fact the cybernetic pyromaniac Hello Cobra only holds the rank of mini-boss gives you an idea of how excessively metal a foe needs to be in order to qualify as a proper big boss in Valfaris. For example, Itnan – the big boss of The Tombs level – is armed with a ridiculously over-sized railgun, lives in a coffin, wears skull boots, and can transform into a swarm of bugs.
Then there’s Furrok, a big boss and warrior hulk that’s clad in gold and black armor who attacks with a pair of enormous flaming hammers that are mighty enough to give Thor an inferiority complex. In total, there are over 70 different types of enemy (spread across basic, elite, mini-bosses, and bosses) to terminate with extreme prejudice.
4. You get to stomp about in a skull-headed
mech
Nothing screams heavy metal quite like trampling
over hapless enemies in a literal hunk of, erm, heavy metal. Piloting an Exterminator
Mech is a lot of cathartic fun. The mechanical colossus is fully weaponised and
capable of causing maximum carnage.
The Exterminator is equipped with a triple-whammy of deadly weapons. There’s a head-mounted Soulwraith gun that can blast enemies into itty-bits in an instant, a Star Fist melee weapon ideal for reducing hostiles to mucky puddles of guts, and a plasma incendiary called Soul Thrower that’s a fun way to flambé foes.
5. Full Metal Mode is on the way with
even more metal
If you’ve got the mettle to complete Valfaris then buckle-up for an even bigger challenge! Developer Steel Mantis is currently working on a New Game+ mode called, appropriately enough, Full Metal mode. It will be released as a free update in the not-too-distant future and will be automatically unlocked if you’ve got a Game Clear save file.
In Full Metal mode, enemies and bosses are tougher and more aggressive, and you take more damage when hit. However, to help even the odds, all your weapons, upgrades, and upgrade items are carried over, which means you’re beefed up right from the outset. You also get a devastating new Destroyer class weapon to play with. But make no mistake about it, Full Metal mode is going to be hardcore!
Valfaris is available to download now for Xbox One via the Microsoft Store. Good luck and keep it metal!
Specifically, the wording used in the Verge’s reporting says “Valve confirms that this is the last batch of these gamepads that will ever be made.” Aside from that, Valve itself hasn’t posted much of anything through its official channels about pulling the plug.
A quiet hardware discontinuation isn’t entirely out of character for Valve, however. Physical Steam Link hardware was discontinued earlier this year in favor of apps and homebrew Raspberry Pi kits, with only a brief note on the hardware’s news page as stock started to thin.
The presence of Steam Machines, the SteamOS powered computers Valve announced back in 2014, was silently dialed back on Steam last year as well, so much so that the platform is no longer listed alongside other Valve products like the Steam Link, Steam Controller, Valve Index, or HTC Vive on Steam’s hardware tab.
Some folks online have speculated that a Steam Controller follow-up could be on the way (thanks to a handful of patents that popped up earlier this year) but Valve itself has yet to confirm much of anything surrounding that theory. We’ve reached out to Valve in the meantime and will update this story with any new details following a reply.
