We’re starting to get a bit inundated with interesting review projects again – we managed to cover off a few like Solar Settlers & Egypt: Old Kingdom this week, but there are more on the horizon and already out that we’ll try to keep on top off.
Generally it feels like it’s been a good month for releases, so hopefully it’s a trend that continues through to May.
Do you like board games? Do you like Zombies? Then it’s highly likely you’ve at least heard of, if not played, Zombicide. It’s been enjoying the fruits of several successive Kickstarters to release many seasons and spin-off physical games, and now it’s ready to take on digital platforms thanks to Asmodee Digital.
Tactics & Shotguns seems to have gone down the solitaire route for this game, with a 40 mission-long campaign that allows you to unlock up to four characters. It’s a shame, but then Zombicide’s co-op qualities could be considered fairly superficial, as there’s not as much about its design that demands more than one person run the team. Those looking for another way to play this game with friends via mobile devices will be disappointed, but if you need something to bide your time on a long-journey, this may fit the bill. The animation looks slick as least, and it seems to follow the rules quite closely.
There are also IAPs for additional scenarios/heroes.
Nomads of the Fallen Star (iOS & Android) – Full review coming soon!
Now this is something we can really sink our teeth into. This sci-fi fuelled cross between Mount & Blade & Battle Brothers seems like the perfect thing to whittle away those hours, from the same studio that brought us Star Nomad 2 a couple of years ago.
You are the leader of band of mercenaries/scavengers trying to eek out an existence in the harsh reality of a floundering colony, cut off from the rest of the galaxy. You’ve got to hire soldiers and do what needs to be done to survive, and reportedly there’s a very robust economic system that reacts to the player’s actions and decisions.
It seems like an excellent sandbox game for mobile, and we’ll bring you our full thoughts on the game as soon as we can.
Mini Gal4Xy (iOS & Android) – Full review coming soon!
Jerome Bodin gave us the rather excellent Frost back in 2016, and now he’s finally returned to the mobile stage with an altogether different proposition. Mini Galaxy is a ‘light’ 4X strategy game that offers some good, clean 4X fun. The systems are simple, yet robust, and the world is colourful and engaging enough to see you through to victory.
Every galaxy you spawn is procedurally generated, and this is meant to be a more accessible distillation of the genre, although it should offer enough for veterans to scratch that itch while they’re on the move.
The final game to catch our eye this week was The Monster Game, which is a card-based RPG that’s only on iOS but seemed interesting. There’s a danger it could be just like every other card/rpg game that’s released recently, but we’ll check it out when we can.
Updates
There’s not been many headline updates that we’ve seen, but Star Traders: Frontiers, Evolution: The Video Game and Stardew Valley have all had minor patches pushed out over the last week or so.
Last week will told you about the impending update for Star Traders involving carriers. At the time of writing, it hadn’t hit mobile yet, but in case you weren’t aware both iOS and Google Play versions of the game now have carriers, so enjoy!
Sales
As with updates, there’s nothing really that’s taken our fancy that stands-out – a couple of usual suspects are on sale again, but not at prices that are any better than what’s been done previously. If you see anything you feel should be added, let us know!
Several weeks ago, Godot 3.1 finally shipped after a year of development. Since then, several details and hints about what are coming in the 3.1 release have become available. This post is gathering all of those details together in a single place.
There have been a few posts on the Godot website detailing 3.1 features:
In addition to these announced features, several more have been discussed on Twitter.
Now what’s not happening in Godot 3.2:
Godot 4.0 is a release much further down the road and will include the Vulkan renderer and other improvements. For details on the 4.0 release check out this previous post.
In the near future, where Earth has been ravaged by robot invaders, the fate of the planet rests of the shoulders of a young girl who becomes more than human. Saved from death and cursed with cybernetic powers beyond comprehension, it's up to Reika Rekkeiji to save humanity from the evil Ajeet in this exciting new game from legendary developer Game Freak. GIGA WRECKER ALT. combines frantic platforming, intense combat and physics-based puzzle challenges into one exciting adventure. By destroying robotic enemies and the world around her, Reika can form the resulting debris into all manner of weapons and tools. Use these to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles, navigate through platform-laiden levels, then take the fight to the robot invaders and save mankind from extinction before it's too late.
Enjoy an adventurous vacation to a 1960s parallel universe! A thrilling sci-fi-mystery adventure game that takes place at a remote village in rural Germany. You won the trip in a lottery! Or at least, that?s how it seems. But instead of getting some rest, you could find yourself having to save the world?
Video: Building God of War’s Atreus to fit with both gameplay and narrative
For God of War, the team at Sony Santa Monica was tasked with creating an entry in a long-running series that both stayed faithful to some aspects of its predecessors while giving its protagonist Kratos considerable room to grow.
Working Kratos’ son Atreus into both the gameplay and the story complicated this, but in the end including him as a fully realized companion AI paid off. In this talk, senior staff technical combat designer Hayato Yoshidome walks through several approaches and iterations from Atreus’ creation, addressing how the ups and downs of each influenced different elements of God of War.
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play —it’s also the Best Place to Work. We’ve thrilled gamers since 1994, when we launched the original PlayStation. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment. The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation.
Competitive Gaming is an exciting and burgeoning space within the landscape of gaming. As one of the leaders of the gaming industry, PlayStation is focused on the esports business both regionally and globally as a part of the strategic outlook on the future of gaming. The Sr. Manager, Competitive Gaming (North America) will be a senior member of this initiative, responsible for not only assisting in the creation of the overall strategy, but heavily in its execution. This position will touch all aspects of the initiative However, with a focus on driving and executing regional activities and goals. This person will also help to build the overall infrastructure, determining and allocating resource needs, global/ regional governance, cross-functional partnership and advocacy.
Responsibilities:
Thought leadership in the infrastructure, activation and funding design of Global eSports/ competitive gaming strategy; providing examples of wider best practices and focus efforts against areas key to PlayStation’s differentiation and advantage.
Working with the Global team to determine best practices for esports on the platform, including the Tournament feature.
Responsible for the design and execution of the esports strategy in North America and LATAM
Management and Execution of the esports platform “destination” in North America, including determining tech partnerships, content strategy and promotion.
Oversee Tournament Feature Program management in Region
Design and execute Regional activations around global and local esports sponsorships
Assist in the execution and management of 1st party programs in region
Responsible for execution of Global programs in region, specifically, around E3 and PSX
Management and promotion of PS Plus esports programs at key esports events in Region
Responsible for seeking opportunities and seeding the North American market with in the intent of furthering the goals of the PlayStation esports program globally and locally
Regional budget development and management
Support and execution of the global esports “branding” program in the region
Manage eSports relations with internal departments, specifically, working closely with marketing, promotions, corporate communications and publisher relations in order to ensure success of Regional program.
Determine and manage relevant KPI’s for the region and its esports program
Identify and facilitate relationships within the esports/ competitive gaming community
Qualifications:
At least 6+ years of experience in the gaming industry
At least 3+ years of experience in eSports preferred
Extensive knowledge of the competitive gaming landscape
Strong ability to network with leaders and influencers within the competitive gaming space
Experience creating business models
Strong presentation skills
Proven management/ leadership success
Strong financial acumen
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Proven ability to influence decisions on a global scale
Bachelor degree or equivalent work experience
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, legally protected physical or mental disability, covered veteran status, status in the U.S. uniformed services, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, genetic information or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you spent in contacting us and we thank you for your interest in PlayStation.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.
Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.
Today, on our April episode of Inside Xbox, we made a big announcement about a brand-new Xbox One console, revealed some major news regarding Xbox Game Pass, unveiled some new features coming to Game Bar, shared info on new titles coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility, and much more. For a full recap, read on below or watch the replay of Inside Xbox episode above when the VOD is available.
The big news coming out of today’s show was our reveal of The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which was created for those who prefer to find and play their games digitally and are looking for the most affordable way to play Xbox games. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition comes bundled with three of our most compelling and popular games – Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3 and Sea of Thieves. It also comes with a special offer to get started with Xbox Game Pass. Available for pre-order today at $249.99 USD, the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is $50 USD less than Xbox One S, and we expect to maintain at least that price difference between the two consoles going forward. Read more here.
In June 2017, we launched Xbox Game Pass – with the goal of empowering gamers all over the world to discover their next favorite game. A top request fans have shared from day one is to provide an option to get Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in a single membership. We heard you. Today, we’re excited to announce Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will include all of the benefits of Xbox Live Gold with Xbox Game Pass. That means the full Xbox Game Pass library of over 100 high quality games, and Xbox Live Gold online multiplayer, in one convenient membership for $14.99 a month. With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, gamers will be able to play together on the most-advanced multiplayer network and discover their next favorite game. Read more here.
A few weeks ago, we shared that Game bar on Windows 10 was getting a major overhaul. From Spotify integration to improved social experiences that enable you to see what your friends are playing, quickly text or voice chat, and create memes to share via Twitter, there are a number of ways that the team is making this the best version of Game bar yet based on community feedback. Game bar is an overlay built into Windows so it works over any PC game. In order to make the overlay your own, we added the ability to customize Game bar. Choose which widgets to show/hide, where you want them located, and even pin specific widgets. Find your own favorite Game bar layout to enhance your gaming experience. In addition to all of those improvements, today we shared that our Looking for Group (LFG) feature will also be added to Game bar, allowing you to quickly and easily find people to bring into battle with you (or, if you prefer, battle against). To try out these features, launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Windows 10 PC. Read more here.
New Competitive Game Mode and Story-Rich Quests are Coming to Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves Executive Producer Joe Neate made an appearance on this week’s show to share more on the updates the Rare team announced this morning. First there’s The Arena, a brand-new competitive game mode that offers all the best bits of Sea of Thieves concentrated into fast-paced and fun 24-minute matches. For players looking for rich and immersive new quests, there are Tall Tales. These are epic story-driven quests that play out in the shared world, with the first collection – Shores of Gold – taking players across the seas to experience a story of love, honor and betrayal in search of the mythical Shores of Gold. Finally, there’s a brand-new Trading Company, The Hunter’s Call. This will offer players new ways to play and progress and includes a raft of new features including fishing (with 50 different types of fish to catch), cooking and hunting. Watch the new trailer here.
In partnership with ELEAGUE, Xbox announced the ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series: The Bonds and Betrayals of Brotherhood – a six-part event series and live tournament focused on the stories and players behind the world of Gears Esports with the first episode debuting on TBS, Friday, June 14, at 11 pm ET/PT. ELEAGUE will also feature the worldwide debut of Gears 5 Versus multiplayer, culminating in The Invitational at the end of the season, within ELEAGUE Arena at Turner Studios in Atlanta from Saturday-Sunday, July 13-14. Read more here.
Six Beloved Titles Join Xbox One Backward Compatibility with Xbox One X Enhancements
Announcing new titles coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility is always exciting, but it’s even better when we can reveal that said titles are being enhanced for Xbox One X. Today, we were happy to share that Ninja Gaiden 2, Fable 2, Fable 3, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent are all enhanced for Xbox One X. Best of all, they’re all available starting today! Remember, Xbox 360 games enhanced for Xbox One X run at a higher resolution and 9X the original pixel count. The power of Xbox One X enables the Xbox 360 emulator to showcase the very best version possible with the existing assets—all without touching the game code. Today’s additions join our existing catalog for a total of 62 Xbox One X Enhanced Backward Compatible games.
Exploring Some Exciting New Games on the Horizon
During the show, we took a closer look at some games that’ll be hitting Xbox One in the coming months. First up was Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the new Star Wars game from Respawn Entertainment that was revealed this weekend at Star Wars Celebration. Next, got up close and personal with Rage 2, the upcoming shooter from Bethesda that offers up one of the wildest post-apocalyptic settings we’ve ever seen. Finally, we shared that Warhammer Chaosbane is set to launch on June 4th. If you love the warhammer universe or some good old-fashioned dungeon crawling, then this game is for you. Best of all, the next closed beta is about to start in just two days. That’s right: On April 18th, you’ll be able to jump into the action as Bragi Axebiter, the Dwarf-killer and Elessa the Wood Elf, who will be joining the soldier and high elf classes from the first beta. This means that all four classes will be playable at once, and in a whole new region!
On today’s episode, FanFest Lead Chris Munson shared that this marks the 5th year of FanFest, which explains why he was so excited to reveal brand-new details on Xbox FanFest at E3 2019 during his segment. With E3 2019 marking our biggest E3 presence ever, we’re thrilled to share that 700 tickets will be available for E3 FanFest, which will include experiencing the Xbox Briefing, a FanFest Showcase, and much more. Chris broke down some of the details on things like the ticketing process and how you can bring a guest along with you, as well as what you’ll get with your ticket. There’s a lot of goodness this year, so be sure to check out our full FanFest post for the complete details! Read more here.
Phil Spencer Talks E3 2019, Xbox Studios, and More
To close out today’s show, we had a special guest appearance by the Head of Xbox himself, Phil Spencer. During his segment, he talked Project xCloud and how we at Xbox put the gamer at the center of how we build our strategy and services, driven by the idea that as a gamer you should be able to play the games you want to play, on the devices you want to play them on with your friends, anywhere you go. Spencer also talked about his excitement to be representing the broader gaming community at E3 2019. We recently announced plans for our biggest presence ever, including Xbox E3 FanFest, and the diversity of the content across Xbox and PC that we’ll be highlighting in the briefing from both Xbox Game Studios and third-party partners from around the world.
We hope you enjoyed the show, and we’ll see you next month!
Avengers: Endgame Introduces The MCU's First Openly Queer Character
The Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't have the best track record when it comes to representing minorities. All but three of the franchise's 22 films have been focused primarily on straight, white men--and the three that aren't only came in the last two years. It's not a spectacular ratio when you really break it down. Avengers: Endgame didn't exactly tip the scales in favor of diversifying the line up in any meaningful way, but it did include the big screen MCU's first-ever openly queer character.
Sure, the character was an unnamed cameo by co-director Joe Russo, but, look, we're going to take the win we can get, even if it's a really embarrassingly thin one.
And in terms of including any level of queer representation, Russo's cameo was actually handled pretty well for as minimal as it was. Here's how it went down: Captain America is moonlighting as a grief counselor running a therapy group for snap survivors. In group, Russo's character explains that he went on a date--a big step--and that it went pretty well, except for when he started crying, and when his date, a man, started crying too. The trauma of the Snap is obviously not something people are adjusting to easily, even five years later.
Steve offers up some kind-hearted advice, and tells everyone that it's best to focus on the things that are positive about their situation and they need to work on moving on. It's all over in about five minutes, but it's an exceedingly normal five minutes devoid of any real stereotyping or poorly handled tropes.
In an interview with Deadline, Russo spoke to their motivations and intentions in including the scene. "It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them. We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity.”
The sentiment is nice, to be sure, and appreciated. But it's important to look at this moment in context of not only Endgame, but the entire cinematic universe. This is not a monumental victory--all things considered, it's a tiny drop in a very, very large ocean. That isn't to say it doesn't matter, but it's ultimately a tiny scrap being tossed the way of queer fans and what may or may not be an empty promise for movies to come.
For all the MCU has lacked genuine representative queer relationships in the past, there has been no shortage of subtextual coding--everything from the wildly popular assumed romance between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes to the extremely loosely implied past love life of Valkyrie during Thor: Ragnarok's flashback sequence. By the same token, there have also been characters that are explicitly queer in the source material--Valkyrie again, members of the Dora Milaje that served as Okoye's inspiration, Loki, and Korg, to name a few--who have been transported into the live-action universe, only to have their sexualities and identities written around or outright erased. All of which is to say that the MCU has had a bunch of opportunities to start including non-heterosexual characters into the mix and blatantly chosen not to do so. That's not something that can be undone or corrected by a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo.
But we've got to start somewhere right? Hopefully Marvel Studios will deliver on Russo's promise, and hopefully future representation will be more than a tiny, inconsequential Easter Egg.
iPhone XR sequel might gain twin-lens rear camera in 2019
By Roger Fingas Friday, April 26, 2019, 02:05 pm PT (05:05 pm ET)
Rumors suggest Apple’s iPhone XR follow-up will upgrade to a dual-lens rear camera in 2019, potentially delivering the company’s advanced photographic technology to an entry-level smartphone model for the first time.
As with the iPhone X and XS, one lens would be wide-angle and the other telephoto, Mac Otakara said on Friday, citing information from Chinese suppliers. The current XR has a single wide-angle lens, identical to recent base level iPhone offerings.
Traditionally Apple has used telephoto lenses for two purposes, the first being 2x optical zoom instead of digital enlargement. The second, though, is Portrait Mode photos accomplished in the iOS Camera app — the telephoto becomes the primary lens, while the wide-angle captures depth data used to isolate the subject and simulate DSLR-style bokeh.
The XR employs specialized algorithms to achieve a similar Portrait effect, but the resulting image is zoomed-out and not necessarily as accurate as its XS counterpart.
Multiple reports have pointed to flagship 5.8- and 6.5-inch “XI” and “XI Max” OLED iPhones coming with a triple-lens camera, the third lens possibly being a super-wide unit. Mac Otakara added that two out of three lenses/sensors may be used as common parts to keep costs down.
Separate design changes may include iPad-style mute switches and the use of 3D-molded rear glass, even covering the phones’ larger camera bumps. That same all-glass design is expected with the dual-camera XR successor, which could rely on a familiar 6.1-inch LCD screen, the report said.
It is also possible that the new phones will include USB-C to Lightning cables and 18-watt USB-C power adapters, but keep Lightning as their wired data type.
Last week, the Nintendo Switch Online app got a little bit more attention than usual when the latest update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released on the Nintendo Switch.
The mobile application also received an update, allowing users to view shared custom-made stages and then download them directly to their game. While it’s not much, the iOS version of this Nintendo app has now apparently received an update. As with a lot of Nintendo software updates, the details are incredibly vague. Version 1.5.1 makes a number of bug fixes, but nothing else is mentioned beyond this. The Android version of this update is expected to roll out soon.
Have you been using this smartphone application since the Stage Builder mode arrived in Ultimate? Were you using it prior to this for voice chat and to access extra data and content in games like Splatoon 2? What else would you like to see added to it?
